Canadian Lodging News - March 2013

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LodgingNews MARCH 2013 Vol. 10 No. 2

C A N A D A ’ S

L O D G I N G

B U S I N E S S

Jumbo polarizes the Columbia Valley

Left: Jumbo protesters. Top: Hikers walk the trails on the site of the proposed resort. Photos: Pat Morrow. Bottom: Rendering of built-out resort.

Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40010152

By Elaine Anselmi, Assistant Editor RADIUM, BC—One of Canada’s most controversial resort developments to date reached a pivotal stage on Feb. 19 with the incorporation of the Jumbo Glacier Resort Municipality. Jumbo Glacier Resort, slated to be built at the foot of Jumbo Mountain and Jumbo Glacier more than 50km west of Invermere, BC, has been a highly-debated proposition for more than 20 years.

A lengthy process There is now an appointed mayor and two-person council in place, as well as the Master Agreement, Grant Costello, vice-president of Glacier Resorts Inc., owner and operator of Jumbo Glacier Resort told CLN. Those are the two pieces that will allow the development to move for-

ward. “Construction is set to start before the end of this year, but we don’t expect to have any beds there or accommodations until 2015 or 2016 at the earliest,” said Costello.

He said the resort will incorporate all aspects of a boutique resort including hotels, lodges, and bed and breakfasts, as well as single family chalets and condos. “Restaurants and bars and other retail services will grow as the population grows,” said Costello.

“It’s not just another ski area, it’s very unique,” he said. For one thing, unlike any other resort in Canada, Jumbo will be ski-able during all four seasons. Costello said there will be sightseeing and skiing above the treeline, and ski-lifts that rise 10,000 feet into heli-skiing country.

The Jumbo Valley site was specifically selected for its consistent

snowfall, a factor that makes the resort more economically and environmentally feasible, said Oberto Oberti, president of Glacier Resorts Ltd. and owner of Oberto Oberti Inc. Architecture & Urban Design Inc. – a division of which is charged with designing the resort.

“Most ski areas in North America have or need to have snowmaking, a costly and less sustainable approach to ski resort development,” Oberti told CLN. “The base is at an ideal 1,700 metres elevation, almost 500 metres above the rain line in winter, and offering an abundance of natural snow without ever needing snowmaking.”

Despite what Oberti designated as an ideal location, the process of bringing Jumbo Glacier Resort to fruition was anything but ideal.

N E W S P A P E R

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First newbuild Park Inn in pipeline for Canada CHICAGO—Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group will add three hotels to its Canadian roster over the next couple of years, with one now open and the other opening in May. Carlson Rezidor’s newest additions in Markham, ON and Calgary will complement its existing Canadian portfolio of 32 hotels and 4,815 rooms in operation and under development.

The first of these, the Park Inn by Radisson Toronto-Markham, opened March 1. This 170-room hotel, which used to be a Howard Johnson, has been extensively renovated. The hotel will offer the brand’s RBG restaurant, meeting and convention space, and recreational facilities including an indoor pool and fitness centre.

“Park Inn is such a great conversion brand,” said Sean Shannon, vice president, development for Canada.

“The hotel wanted to reposition to get more of a business-oriented clientele. The Park Inn by Radisson brand enabled them to make that shift in market and drive revenue.”

Park Inn recently took on the “by Radisson” moniker, adding traction to the brand.

Minaz Rahemtulla, managing director of Luxury Hotels Group, Canada, is the owner of the property.

Luxury Hotels already has a number of hotels in Canada, and additional investments internationally.

Anshu Patack will be the general manager.

A Carlson campus?

Radisson Hotel & Convention Centre Calgary Airport East will be

Continued on page 3

On

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Top Days Inns honoured in Toronto

And Days Inns Canada announces its 100th property to be located near Calgary Airport

P.8

On mentorship and love of the industry

Canadian Lodging News interviews Bob Leoppky of Atlific Hotels & Resorts

Housekeeping and Laundry Report

P.16

CLN looks at ozone, cross-over washers and keys to a leaner laundry operation

Continued on page 14

100 is Great. 101 is Better!

We have now signed our 100th hotel in Canada.

We’d love to welcome you as 101. New construction and conversion opportunities available.

Days Inns - Canada 416.966.8387 daysinn@realstarhospitality.com A Division of Realstar Hospitality

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M A R C H 2 013

Changes at Starwood Canada explained TORONTO—Starwood Hotels & Resorts announced a number of changes to its Canadian operations along with the recent departure of senior executives Stephen Foster and David Ogilvie.

“Starwood regularly evaluates its organization and structure to ensure that we are growing our business and utilizing resources most efficiently,” the company said in a release.

“These changes were part of that ongoing effort and will result in Canada reporting geographically into the West and North regions for its owned and managed portfolio.”

Who reports to Seattle? o The SVP of operations for the West is Carla Murray and she is based out of Seattle.

SKYLINE CORRECTION In the February, 2013 story about Skyline Hotels & Resorts, we provided an incorrect title for Michael Sneyd. His correct title is CEO, Skyline International Development Inc. CLN regrets the error.

o GMs for Starwood’s western managed hotels—Westin Calgary, Westin Edmonton and Westin Bayshore will report to Murray. o Full service hotels from Saskatchewan to the west coast are a part of the West region.

Who reports to Boston? o The SVP of operations for the North is Colleen Keating and she is based out of Boston. o GMs for eastern owned and managed hotels – Sheraton Centre Toronto, Sheraton Gateway Toronto, Le Centre Sheraton Montreal, The Westin Harbour Castle, The Westin Ottawa, W Montreal—will report to Keating. o Full service hotels from Ontario to the east coast are a part of the North region.

What stays the same? o There will be fewer people at the Starwood Canadian office. o Cynthia Bond and Dan Young will remain the communications contacts for Starwood news in Canada and around the world. o Four Points is a part of the Select Service brands, so there are no changes in terms of

operations. o Scott Duff will remain the development contact for Canadian Starwood hotels.

Six more hotels by year end “The Canadian Franchise Division will remain unchanged for full service and specialty hotels,” the release noted. Operating brands that have franchised hotels in Canada are Sheraton, Westin, Four Points by Sheraton, Le Méridien, Aloft and Element (opening in the spring).

Starwood expects to open six new hotels in Canada this year, including the first international Element and the 25th Four Points in the country.

The new hotels include Four Points Kelowna Airport, Four Points Edmundston, Four Points Edmonton International Airport, Four Points Regina, Aloft Calgary University and Element Vaughan Southwest.

By the end of the year, Starwood’s Canadian portfolio will include 66 hotels and resorts; worldwide, the company has 1,134 properties in nearly 100 countries and 154,000 employees.

Controversy surrounds BC resort project Continued from page 1

“It seemed that every time we got to a certain point in one process, they’d introduce a new process,” Costello said. Having received the master development agreement for the resort in March 2012, the project is moving forward.

“Within two years we’ll be looking for hotel developers and operators and new investors,” Costello said.

There are various factors involved in the development. Three of the most common and divergent are: the opportunity for increasing tourism and jobs in the Columbia Valley, the necessity or lack thereof for a new resort in BC, and the environmental concerns associated with developing otherwise wild lands.

“We think there will be about 150 construction jobs on an annual basis throughout the life of the resort, and about 750 permanent jobs when the resort is fully operational, between restaurants, bars and hotels,” said Costello. This is a considerable addition to the region, which currently has no residents.

A municipality in question The lack of population in Jumbo Valley has led to a complicated process in designating the area as a resort municipality – also one of the more contentious issues with the development.

In other resort municipalities, namely Whistler, Sun Peaks or Kicking Horse, this designation came after a pre-existing municipality designation, said Robyn Duncan, project manager for Wildsight, one of the prevalent environmental organizations opposing the development of Jumbo Valley.

“This is an area with no residents, it’s a wilderness area, it’s wild lands so you can’t have an election,” said Duncan. “What happened here is that last May, the BC government passed Bill 41, The Local Government Act that included a clause that allowed them to create a mountain resort municipality without an existing community.”

Duncan said at a regional level, zoning laws would have come into play, as well as discussion with the residents of surrounding areas. “One of the biggest pieces is the local residents have never been given a public consultation,” she said. “There would be a large public consultation with that, where people’s concerns were recorded, but because it was transferred to the BC government, this didn’t happen.”

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The area that was formerly a part of the regional district was transferred under provincial jurisdiction, under which the regional municipality designation was granted. “All parties concerned, believed that because [Jumbo] is going to be 98 per cent crown land for all time, the local government – the regional government – wasn’t the appropriate structure for the resort,” said Costello. “The province created legislation to allow a specific type of municipality for ski resorts.”

For wilderness sake The Jumbo Glacier Resort proposal underwent the lengthiest environmental assessment in the history of Canadian resorts, said Costello.

Throughout this process, Oberti said, “Special attention was given to fit the design into the natural setting, protecting riparian areas and minimizing soil disruption, even to the point of following the alignment of the logging roads wherever possible.”

Despite Glacier Resorts Ltd.’s compliance to the nearly 200 recommendations that came out of the assessment, according to Costello, the various environmental organizations involved are not backing down.

“The Jumbo Valley has been identified by leading grizzly bear researchers as key to the grizzly bear population,” said Duncan. Several of these researchers have stepped forward in opposition to the project, said Duncan, and most recently the West Kootenay EcoSociety filed a Judicial Review challenging the constitutionalAerial map showing location of the Jumbo Resort project

ity of the resort municipality’s development.

Designed as greenest ski resort Regarding the environmental concerns around Jumbo Glacier Resort, Oberti said, “the controversy has obfuscated the fact that the project was designed from the beginning to be the ‘greenest’ ski resort project concept in North America.”

The resort master plan is contained by approximately 275 acres, Oberti said, further comparing Jumbo Glacier Resort’s 5,500 tourist beds to Whistler’s 62,500 beds. However, the skiable terrain of both Jumbo Glacier and Whistler are more comparable, with the former at 14,500 acres and the latter at 14,800 according to Oberti.

Duncan said that it is the issue of the whole footprint that is disconcerting, and how it will interfere with the existing wildlife corridor and affect the grizzly bear population that is already threatened in the United States. “If a development the size of Jumbo goes ahead it will sever the corridor that exists,” said Duncan.

Both Costello and Oberti, stressed that Jumbo is the name of the area, not a reference to the scale of the resort.

“Jumbo Glacier is the name of the resort, it’s a place name, it has nothing to do with the size of the resort,” said Costello. “The ski area will be large, the resort will be small.”

Despite the structure size, Duncan said environmental concerns are not restricted to within the resort’s walls.

NEWS

BRIEFS

Hotwire rates top value destinations for February LOS ANGELES—Hotwire.com recently released its Canadian Rate Report for February 2013, which features the top five destinations in Canada where hotel rates have dropped the most, compared to the same time last year.

For the second consecutive month, four of Canada’s major cities – Ottawa, Whistler, Winnipeg and Victoria – hold strong as top value destinations, while Quebec City reappears as a value spot after a 15-month absence. Each city has a variety of activities for travellers itching to enjoy the snow before it all melts away, like hitting the slopes in Whistler or checking out Quebec’s 2013 International Hockey Tournament and World Junior Alpine Ski Championships.

More Canadians looking to book U.S. travel BELLEVUE, WA—More Canadians are looking to book in the U.S., according to Expedia.com. The online travel agency expects a 4 per cent increase in demand following the 5 per cent increase recorded during 2012.

Canada continues to rank No. 1 in international visits to the U.S., with more than 21 million Canadians crossing the border last year. Collectively, this group spent more than $16 billion (or $770 per person) during their trips, making them the top spenders in the U.S. as well.

The top five U.S. destinations for inbound Canadian tourists are: Las Vegas, New York, Orlando, Chicago and Los Angeles.

Vancouver to create its first Tourism Master Plan VANCOUVER—Vancouver’s first Tourism Master Plan will be created by Resonance Consultancy, a local firm with experience in the production of more than 100 tourism and development consulting projects in 65 countries, as well as proven expertise in destination and city branding.

The plan is a joint effort of the City of Vancouver, Tourism Vancouver, Vancouver Economic Commission and the Vancouver Convention Centre. Its objective is to assess and define the product development needs of Vancouver’s tourist attractions, services, facilities and transportation in order to create a long-term strategy for the sustainable development and management of tourism in the city.

UNWTO: world tourism to grow MADRID, SPAIN—International tourist arrivals grew by 4 per cent in 2012 to reach 1.035 billion, according to the latest UNWTO World Tourism Barometer.

Emerging economies (+4.1 per cent) regained the lead over advanced economies (+3.6 per cent), with Asia and the Pacific showing the strongest results.

Growth is expected to continue in 2013 only slightly below the 2012 level (+3 per cent to +4 per cent) and in line with the UNWTO long term forecast. With an additional 39 million international tourists, up from 996 million in 2011, international tourist arrivals surpassed 1 billion (1.035 billion) for the first time in history in 2012.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

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LodgingNews www.can-lodgingnews.com Editor Colleen Isherwood ext. 231 cisherwood@canadianlodgingnews.com Contributing Editors Marni Andrews marni@trolltales.com Larry Mogelonsky larry@lma.ca Leslie Wu ext. 227 lwu@canadianrestaurantnews.com Elaine Anselmi ext. 226 eanselmi@canadianlodgingnews.com National Sales Manager Dave Bell ext. 230 dbell@canadianlodgingnews.com Senior Account Manager Debbie McGilvray ext. 233 dmcgilvray@canadianlodgingnews.com Senior Account Manager Joe Couto ext. 229 jcouto@canadianlodgingnews.com Production Stephanie Giammarco sgiammarco@canadianlodgingnews.com Circulation Manager Don Trimm ext. 228 dtrimm@canadianrestaurantnews.com Controller Tammy Turgeon ext. 237 tammy@canadianlodgingnews.com How to reach us: Tel (905) 206-0150

C OM M E N T

By Colleen Isherwood, Editor

Her secret weapon: chickens...

Kim Roy of the Radisson Hotel in Manchester, NH, won the Radisson Americas General Manager of the Year award at the Carlson Hotels conference last year. This year her hotel improved on its already stellar performance with a 14.5 per cent increase in RevPAR and a rise of 8.6 per cent in revenue generation. So how does a GM achieve such spectacular results?

“We have 250 guest rooms and 65,000 square feet,” Roy told 500 delegates to the Carlson Rezidor Full Service Brands business conference in Chicago late last month. “We’ve had a llama in the lobby one day and the President the next day.

“But we serve from the heart; there’s great energy in that building.

“My secret weapon is that I’m a nurturer,” she added conspiratorially as a slide showing hens appeared on the huge screen behind her. “I’m a chicken farmer. I take care of [my chickens] and they lay eggs. I share the eggs with my employees.

“My staff want a piece of me—they want my energy.” And the eggs provide just that.

That personal touch... Bob Leoppky of Atlific

Hotels & Resorts noted that customer care is the one thing that hasn’t changed in the hospitality business—that we can only strive to do even better. (See article, page 8). No matter how much technology we have, you still can’t beat the human touch, he noted.

The Carlson Rezidor conference alternated between technology talk and the emotional customer-relations side of the hotel business. They suggest that the two can be complementary.

The Park Inn brand in particular is looking towards the next generation of hotels with kiosk check-in. They did a pilot project in Brussels, Belgium whether they took out one front desk computer and added two self-check-in computers.

Check-in costs were down. Business guests were thrilled, leisure guests less so, said Eric De Neef, senior VP, marketing, CRM & global branding Park Inn by Radisson.

He talks about differences between delivery of concierge service in upscale versus midscale hotels like Park Inn by Radisson.“Guest feedback shows that we need to find in midscale hotels [the

concierge services] that we find in upscale hotels.

The only difference is the delivery.”

The fact that there was still a front-desk option in the pilot program is pertinent. “While the next generation of Park Inns will likely have an econcierge system, flexibility and customer choice are also important,” De Neef said.

Gordon McKinnon, executive VP and chief branding officer for Carlson Rezidor, announced a national pilot project for its Radisson brand, designed to enhance the guest experience using technology, i.e., a new mobile and online checkin option and Radisson iConcierge, plus an onproperty concierge smartphone application.

But the project is also about personal experiences. McKinnon started his address backed by large words on a screen saying “exposed” and “going soft”. He said the Radisson pilot project is all about “caring, sharing, daring.” The plan includes the launch of an in-hotel charity program.

And training will be done by a team called The X Squad. Its role will be to “completely transform the energy and emotion of those locations— keeping them at the forefront of the hospitality industry,” according to a company brochure.

So it’s not all about technology. McKinnon pointed to Kim Roy, and to one of this year’s winners, Patty Schweighardt from Saskatoon (see story on page 14), adding that “the details are in the chicken and egg, etc. Human interaction has never been more precious. It’s not new to us ... but it’s now becoming much more of a movement, and it’s applicable to all brands.”

Are You An Ostrich or a Llama?

By Larry Mogelonsky, P. Eng.

Publisher Steven Isherwood ext. 236 sisherwood@canadianlodgingnews.com

Volume 10 No. 2 Canadian Lodging News is published 10 times a year by Ishcom Publications Ltd. which also publishes Atlantic Restaurant News, Ontario Restaurant News Pacific/Prairie Restaurant News, and Canadian Chains Directory and Canadian Lodging News Buyers’ Directory Address: 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201 Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2W1 Tel: (905) 206-0150 Fax: (905) 206-9972 In Canada (800) 201-8596 Subscriptions: Canada & USA: 1 year $39.57, 2 years $63.43 (PLUS APPLICABLE TAX) Single copy: $5.00 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to Circulation Department, 2065 Dundas Street East, Suite 201, Mississauga, Ontario L4X 2W1 EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Jason Cheskes, Above The Line Solutions Vito Curalli, Hilton Worldwide Justin Friesen, Western Financial Group Philippe Gadbois, Atlific Hotels & Resorts Mark Hope, Coast Hotels & Resorts Elizabeth Hueston, Sysco Guest Supply Canada Inc. Dave Kaiser, Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association Brian Leon, Choice Hotels Canada Inc. Chris Lund, Deerhurst Resort Dr. David Martin, Ted Rogers School of Hospitality Christine Pella, Serta Mattress Company Tony Pollard, Hotel Association of Canada Sarah Segal, Informa Canada Andrew Chlebus, LG Electronics Publication Mail Agreement No. 40010152 ISSN 1710-145X GST number R102533890

For GMs over 50—the “R” word looms large This short note is for general managers and other senior managers over 50. If you do not meet these two criteria, please discontinue reading right now. On second thought, this serves as a great heads up for anyone of any age in the business.

Having reached the prime age of 60 recently, I am told by many that ‘60 is the new 40’ or ‘60 is the new 50.’ Not very reassuring, as the aches and pains of every sport injury of my youth reacquaint themselves with my joints.

Many friends of mine have retired and are urging me in this direction. Still others have left their employers of many years and are starting new businesses or consultancies with a vim and vigour that defies their age. These folks are passionate about their new work, their clients and their relationships, and are determined to do great work.

It used to be that by age 65, a manager would be proffered a shiny gold watch and proverbially sent out to pasture. I can recall when my grandfather retired from the railroad at this milestone.

To me – at the time I was a teenager – he was old, outdated and obsolete!

But now, that’s only five years away; the ravens of ironic foreshadowing are hungrily perched on the telephone wire outside my office window.

Today there appears to be no real age when you can retire, or choose to do so. Those who are in senior positions often have the luxury of choosing the date to step down, and can do so if their business life cycle and finances allow them to. For those who have a corporate pension plan, the financial side of the equation is usually simplified.

However, in canvassing the senior clients I work with, surprisingly, most do not have a very strong pension program. Thus, financial issues are a critical factor in their retirement decision.

Getting Your Financial Plan in Order Most GMs are experts at planning and executing multiple budgets for their operations – revenues, expenses and capital budgets all seem

“

It used to be that by age

65, a manager would be proffered a shiny gold watch and proverbially sent out to pasture. But now, that’s only five years away; the ravens of ironic foreshadowing are hungrily perched on the telephone wire outside my office window.

—Larry Mogelonsky

”

to be managed with empyrean acumen. But, I am wondering how many of these individuals have the same command of their own financial state of affairs. In discussions, I have heard descriptors of personal finance as ‘scary’, ‘not enough’ and ‘not sure’; far more often than positive remarks.

The 2008 U.S. property meltdown did not make things any easier. I find this tremendously disconcerting.

If you are managing a luxury property, you are surrounded by guests who likely rake in more than you do. It probably never ceases to amaze you how money can be spent with frivolous abandon. Separate yourself from this influencer and recognize that your fortunes are somewhat different than your guests. You don’t know their circumstances, so don’t let their spendthrift husk dictate your outlook.

This is not a matter of whether you want to retire or may never retire. Rather, it is a case of management. If you are in control of your financial house, you are in control of your destiny. Use the skills that you have honed in running your property to run your own finances. The relationship between revenue and expense has to be understood. Often, difficult compromises must be made. Capital expenditures (your mortgage, car and major home improvements) need to be effectively balanced. You know what to do; set the plan and stick to it.

If you are currently in dire straits, your pri-

mary goal is debt reduction. I’m not a certified financial planner, but it’s self-explanatory that increasing your debt is generally not the solution.

You should always secure help in this regard.

Finances are in Order, Now What?

For those who do have the wherewithal to make the retirement decision, be aware that this is not easy. Remember, you’ve been working in a high stress environment. You cannot easily move from this to only playing golf every day. (I said easily, as some will find this transition to their liking.) Still others will be looking for something to keep their minds active and their ‘fingers’ in the business, at least on a part-time basis. Again, planning a stepped approach of emeritus involvement may be prudent. Volunteering with a local charity, may also make good sense.

Then there is the issue of when. A good friend of mine, who also just turned 60, said he would give it another 10 years: five years full-time and another five part-time. He has no real financial impetus to continue, yet likes the stimulation of his work.

Several other friends have segued into consulting. One friend even bought a company so he could work as their CEO. He was just that bored with golf. Yet others, all my age, have fully retired and are enjoying not having to follow schedules or respond to bosses or other stakeholders. For all of these individuals, none have to work to make ends meet, it’s a personal decision to persevere and never stop dispensing their expertise to the community.

In my own case, I am privileged to have a great team and belong to some excellent hotel consultancy groups. I am also told that writing is one of those skills that only improves with age (fingers crossed). All good news, as retirement for me is not on the immediate horizon. Another 10 years in the business or maybe another 20—I haven’t decided yet, and frankly, I think that’s a good thing.

Contact Larry Mogelonsky at larry@lma.ca

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Days Inn Class of 2013 includes 100th Canadian hotel Irwin Prince (left) and Days Inn Yorkton (below)

Top Days Inn Hotels Honoured in Toronto TORONTO—Realstar Hospitality presented 25 awards to its top hotels at the 2013 Days Inns - Canada Conference in Toronto last week. The annual Awards of Recognition pay tribute to leading Days Inn hotels and staff from across Canada.

2012 Awards of Recognition recipients include: o Property of the Year, 85 rooms and under: Days Inn - Edmonton South, AB o Property of the Year, 86 rooms and over: Days Inn - Thunder Bay North, ON o New Property of the Year: Days Inn - Calgary Northwest, AB o General manager of the Year: Doug Sholter, Days Inn & Suites Strathmore, AB o Guest Choice Award: Days Inn Thunder Bay North, Ontario, ON o Housekeeping Team of the Year: Days Inn & Suites - Collingwood, ON o Front Desk Team of the Year: Days Inn - Barrie, ON o Best Marketing & Sales Efforts of the Year: Days Inn - Vancouver Downtown, BC o Highest Wyndham Rewards Enrollments: Days Inn - Hamilton, ON o Humanitarian Award of the Year:

Days Inn - Swift Current, SK o Best Renovation of the Year: Days Inn - Sudbury, ON o Days Inner Circle Team of the Year: Days Inn - Calgary Airport, AB The coveted Chairman’s Award for Quality is presented to the highest achieving hotels for consistently providing an exemplary product as measured through the quality assurance process. These hotels are recognized for going above and beyond set standards in daily operations and customer service requirements.

Chairman’s Award for Quality winners for 2012 include: o Days Inn & Suites - Langley, BC (general manager Fred Kumar) o Days Inn - Calgary Airport, AB (general manager Helena Borges) o Days Inn - Edmonton South, AB (general manager Zelia Silva) o Days Inn - Medicine Hat, AB (general manager Leslie Squires) o Days Inn & Suites - Strathmore, AB (general manager Doug Sholter) o Days Inn - Regina, SK (general manager Cari Lemieux) o Days Inn - Regina Airport West, SK (general manager Natalie Cherry) o Days Inn - Saskatoon, SK (general

Days Inner Circle recognition program

TORONTO—Irwin Prince, president of Realstar Hospitality, announced the signing of its 100th Days Inn hotel in Canada as part of the chain’s “Class of 2013”. The news came Feb. 12 at the 2013 Days Inns - Canada Conference in Toronto.

So far, 2013 has seen four additions to the Days Inns family either open or about to open. These include conversion properties in North Bay, ON, Whitecourt, AB, and Yorkton, SK. Once the new construction Days Inn Winnipeg Airport opens, that will bring the Canadian Days Inns total to 97 hotels with about 8,500 rooms.

Prince announced new franchise agreements for its 98th hotel (Stephenville, Newfoundland), 99th hotel (Stouffville, Ontario) and 100th hotel – a new build in Calgary, Alberta.

Saskatoon-based Dimension 3 Hospitality (d3h) is the franchisee for the new Calgary Airport North property.

Prince noted that this is d3h’s 10th hotel with Realstar Hospitality.

Prince also congratulated the “Class of 2012”. Last year, Realstar added seven Days Inns located in Chetwynd, AB, Kamloops and Golden, BC, Calgary Northwest, Lloydminster, AB, Miramichi, NB and the first Days Inn in Yellowknife, NT. Days Inn has been operating in Canada for over 20 years. Designed to meet the needs of today’s travellers, the brand is committed to providing guests with top-quality accommodation at affordable prices across the country.

Looking back to 1992 Helena Borges, GM, Days Inn - Calgary Airport with Irwin Prince, president of Realstar Hospitality

manager Cherryl Smith) o Days Inn - Barrie, ON (general manager Stella Gan) o Days Inn & Suites - Collingwood, ON (general manager Will Goertz) o Days Inn - Sudbury, ON (general

manager Nadia Pilon) o Days Inn & Suites - Thunder Bay, ON (general manager Darren Viklen) o Days Inn - Thunder Bay North, ON (general manager Tracy Kennedy)

How clean is your hotel?

Jonas Prince, chairman, Realstar Group and Irwin’s older brother, addressed the conference, recalling the first Day’s Inns conference in 1992, “held in a booth at Fran’s Restaurant at Yonge and College.” At that point, there were just a few Days Inns in Canada, and Realstar had just become master franchisor for the brand in Canada.

Jonas Prince spoke about the many ways the Internet has affected hoteliers, not just in operations but in room design.

“It is affecting our product,” he said, giving the example of a rooms design project for Victoria hotels in the UK. “We want those rooms to last a long time—about 20 years—and we’re taking technology into account.

Enter the Internet. It has liberated us from the desk, and it’s no longer about the desk and ergonomic chair.

We take our laptop or iPad and work in bed. The gooseneck lamp is not good any more—we have to look at lighting, access to outlets and other challenges. We have to strip [the room] down, and start all over again with a blank page.”

Canada-only show a success TORONTO—Two years ago, Days Inns Canada implemented its Inner Circle recognition program. Guests nominate stars through comment cards or on TripAdvisor or Medallia. If an employee gets a certain number of comments, they can wear a special name badge distinguishing them from other employees at the hotel. There are special draws for Inner Circle members, including items such as a mattress, a television or other gifts. And there’s also a Facebook page for Inner Circle members. Cari Lemieux (left), who became general manager of Days Inn - Regina last year, is proud that her hotel has two new Inner Circle members, including Kathleen Klein (right).

TORONTO—Carla McKinney (left) of 3M Canada was on hand to demonstrate the company’s Clean Trace ATP Liminometer. Conference delegates were invited to swipe surfaces with a swab to measure bacteria. Readings of under 300 are good; over 1,000 is unacceptable. The lowest reading, from a cell phone, was 79. Drapes in The Park Hyatt conference room registered 84. The highest reading of 8,400 was taken from someone’s hands (not normally something that would be measured). Luminometers normally retail for $3,000, but were offered for half price to Days Inns delegates.

It’s been five years since Days Inns had a conference for Canadian delegates only; usually the Days Inns Canada Conference is held in conjunction with the Wyndham Hotels and Resorts conference in Las Vegas.

Delegates were eager to network with their Canadian peers, and a number of exhibitors at the Canadaonly tradeshow deemed it a success.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

BOB LEOPPKY: A CAREER, NOT A JOB Robert (Bob) Leoppky, vice president, Western Canada, for Atlific Hotels & Resorts, has certainly made a mark on the British Columbia hotel scene, having trained a number of general managers of Vancouver and area hotels. Kris Szylowski, GM Holiday Inn Vancouver Downtown; Janice MacDonald, GM Best Western Bakerview Inn; Suzanne Allemeier, GM Residence Inn by Marriott Vancouver Downtown; and Jared Sissons, GM Executive Suites Hotel and Resort Squamish are just a few of the hoteliers he has encouraged over the years. In fact, said Sissons, the four of them all worked together at the Holiday Inn Vancouver Downtown at the same time. CLN spoke to Leoppky about the importance of mentorship in the hospitality industry.

By Colleen Isherwood Editor When Bob Leoppky was a young man, his father asked him what he was going to do for a job.

Leoppky told his father he wasn’t looking for a job. He was looking for a career.

And what’s the difference?

“With a job, you get up to go to work. A career is something I want to do.”

Leoppky’s family had once been part of a small restaurant and hotel in Southern Alberta, but had since moved on.

“When I said I wanted to go into the hotel business, my father looked at me as though I had four heads,” Leoppky told CLN. “My father was an entrepreneur in private business. He couldn’t understand why I would want to work for someone else. The questions my father asked were good ones.”

After a little bit of self assessment and a little prodding, Leoppky went to work as a banquet porter for what was then called Westin International Hotels.

He applied for their management training program, and didn’t make the cut. But six months later, someone dropped out, and Leoppky was accepted.

The program was beneficial. At that time, companies sponsored their protegees, and the program included both on-campus and off-campus learning.

When he graduated, he worked for Westin. But he found that most of the people in senior positions were 50 years and older—and he decided to look for a company with more progressive senior management.

He joined Atlific Hotels & Resorts as their director of purchasing, a management trainee position. That was in 1972. Last year, he celebrated 40 years with the company.

Companies still have management training While the best hospitality companies still have management training programs, they don’t provide 100 per cent sponsorship as they did when Leoppky went through the Westin program.

It’s more segmented these days—prospective management trainees have to pursue the opportunities themselves, organizing their own path of study and employment.

“And then you can train some wonderful people, and six months later, they go and work for your competitor,” he said.

Customer service is one aspect of the hotel business that has remained

constant during Leoppky’s four decades in the business.

If anything, “the delivery of [customer service] is continually improving.

I don’t think we’ll ever get it perfect— we’ll continue to experiment with different ways.”

One experiment that hasn’t worked is checking people in online, using kiosks such as those found at the airport.

“We’ve tested it, tried it and it doesn’t work,” he said. “Interaction between customers and service staff is the same—though it’s improved 10, 100 or 1,000-fold. This is the fundamental principle of our business.”

“I get up every morning and want to get to work” Leoppky oversees a team of four area managers, plus the directors of operations and finance.

His territory takes in 32 hotels from Winnipeg to Victoria.

He oversees operations and finance, does development and site selection, plus some work on new

builds.

He said he gets up every morning and wants to get to work.

“If you don’t love [this industry], you’ll probably hate it,” he said. “It’s 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. I love everything about my job. I can honestly say there’s very little I dislike. My pet peeve is that I don’t have enough time to do many of the things that I’d like to do.”

Giving back to the industry Leoppky strongly believes that you’re not doing justice to the industry unless you’re giving back, developing new people to come up in the industry. These people will do something even better than you have done, and eventually take your place.

He looks for people who are able to forge strong relationships, and who are willing to invest social capital. If there is the desire to do that, then you can truly become a mentor, he said.

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HAC 100th Anniversary Sparkles TORONTO—The serving staff of the Hilton Toronto paraded across the front of the ballroom, each bearing a lemon and chocolate dessert in one hand and a sparkler in the other. The words, “100 years,” were stencilled in chocolate on each dessert plate. It was a fitting end to a meal that celebrated the Hotel Association of Canada’s 100 years of shaping the Canadian lodging industry.

Hoteliers from across Canada attended the special centennial dinner celebration on Feb. 4, which was followed by the HAC conference on Feb. 5 and the Canadian Tourism Marketing Summit on Feb. 6.

Michael Jackson, president and CEO, Dominion Grand Hotels Group, welcomed delegates to the gala dinner.

HAC president and CEO Tony Pollard could not attend due to a head injury. “I stubbed my toe, but hope to be back soon,” Pollard quipped in a pre-taped video.

“Since 1913, the Hotel Association of Canada has diligently worked to ensure the success and prosperity of the industry on a national level. As we reflect back over the course of this year we will be reminded of the association’s long history and how the industry has played a significant role in the fabric of Canadian society,” added Pollard, who has since returned to work at the HAC. Hosted by improv king Colin Mochrie and his wife, television star Debra McGrath, the event also toasted the winners of the HAC Awards of Excellence Program (see below).

The HAC has embarked on a year long anniversary campaign that includes a historical video and timeline (go to www.hotelassociation.ca).

Annual general meeting Hank Stackhouse, chairman of the HAC, filled in for Pollard at the association’s AGM. He reported that 2012 was Canada’s second year of 1 per cent annual growth, and of lacklustre growth in ADR of nearly 2 per cent.

“But the fact is that the true barometer for

health in our industry is our ability to increase profitability, improve return on invested capital, and ensure that there is not only reinvestment in our current product, but investment in new capacity as well.

“Profitability in 2012 was 20 per cent below 2008 levels. Supply growth has slowed to less than 1 per cent and is projected to be 1 per cent again for 2013. A major reason for this is that investors are looking for positive market conditions, which translates into incremental growth. The only way our industry will accomplish this is to see a growth in demand and thereby a growth in room rates and finally a growth in profitability.”

When it comes to lack of demand, the worry is that all of our growth has been coming from the domestic market. “A reliance of 67 per cent on our local market in 2001 has now grown to 80 per cent in 2011,” said Stackhouse. “To make STR’s Canadian statistics CTC’s CEO Michele McKenzie and Brand USA’s new CEO matters worse, our local market is Jillian McNamee, business developChris Thompson discussed Canadian and U.S. tourism now at risk. A renewed passion and ment executive for STR (Smith Travel marketing, one of the most pressing issues facing the Cabudget south of the border and the Research), presented the 2012 statistics nadian hospitality industry today at the CTMS on Feb. 6. fact that Canadians are the 7th fastand 2013 forecast for Canada at the Hoest growing out bound market in tel Association of Canada’s 100th Annio Through the strength of its grass roots inithe world, put our opportunity for versary gala,. tiative, the HAC and its members brought growth in serious risk.”

Here’s what she said about 2012: this issue to 237 MPs and ministers across o Occupancy rose 1.0 per cent to 62.4 per the country in 2012. This is up from 163 HAC as advocate cent; face-to-face meetings in 2011.

A recent survey showed that HAC memo ADR rose 1.6 per cent to $129.89; and bers view the organization’s key reason for o Meetings were held with several tourism o RevPAR rose by 2.6 per cent to $81.07 industry stakeholders across Canada. existence is to be an advocate for the lodging STR’s forecast for 2103 includes: o A personal and up-close meeting was o Occupancy is expected to rise 1.4 per cent industry. recently held with the committee head Here is what the HAC has been doing as an to 63.3 per cent; tasked with receiving input to the upcom- o ADR should be up 2.7 per cent to $133.35; advocacy group. ing federal budget to ensure that the deo As the federal government announced and cision-makers understand the hospitality o RevPAR should also be up 4.2 per cent to its deficit reduction plan, it was clear industry, its challenges, potential solutions that funding for the Canadian marketing $84.46. and contribution to the overall economy. agency, the CTC, was at risk. The HAC was Since 1985, STR has been a recognized The HAC represents more than 8,400 ho- leader in hotel performance data, providing front and centre with government at the beginning in researching and providing tels, motels and resorts that encompass the clients with global hotel data covering daily requested options on how to sustainably $16 billion Canadian hotel industry, which and monthly performance forecasts, annual employs 284,000 people across Canada. fund the marketing of Canada. profitability, pipeline and census information.

Hotel Association of Canada’s Hall of Fame Awards TORONTO—The Hotel Association of Canada presented its annual Hall of Fame Awards of Excellence on Feb. 4 at its Centennial Anniversary Celebration gala dinner. Introduced at the 2005 Annual Conference, the awards recognize individuals, companies and properties within the industry that demonstrate significant accomplishments, leadership and commitment to Canada’s lodging industry.

Humanitarian Award The Humanitarian Award went to Kris Crundwell of Pacrim Hospitality Services Inc., in honour of his volunteer commitments to the Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Forces Personnel and Family Support Services and other organizations. He personally raised a significant amount of money for the Canadian Diabetes Association while climbing and conquering a volcano in Costa Rica.

Heart of the House Holiday Inn Cambridge received the 2012 HAC Award of Excellence for Human Resources. The hotel constantly strives to promote an environment that is engaging for employees, through

initiatives led by general manager Micheline Murawsky. This was the first Canadian hotel to implement IHG’s Heart of House Program, and it has both Employee of the Month and Employee of the Year awards.

The Piano Project In the Energy and Environment category, The Westin Ottawa was chosen because of its success in implementing a number of wide-ranging policies, practices and creative initiatives that involve management, employees, guests and the public.

Gala attendees were entertained by a video showing its piano project, a fun initiative that encouraged people to use the stairs, by pretending the staircase was a piano. See the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C4_Ewqn8-Mw The Westin Ottawa is the only hotel in North America to be the recipient of the coveted five Green Keys for both hotel operations and meeting and conference practices. The Green Key EcoRating Program and Green Key Meetings Program are graduated rating systems designed to recognize green hotels, motels and resorts that are committed to improving their environmental and fiscal performance.

Hall of Fame Award winners and presenters, left to right: Jonathan Tafler, Jaunt.ca; Kris Crundwell, Pacrim Hospitality Services, Inc.; Wendy Swedlove, Canadian Tourism HR Council; Micheline Murawsky, Holiday Inn Cambridge; Diana Helferty and Jeff White, The Westin Ottawa; Chris Hamilton, Enbridge Gas Distribution and The Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of State for Small Business and Tourism.

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1. Pods not front desks

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

LOBBYING FOR CHANGE...

Aloft, Vaughan, ON

Anto Vrdoljak shows off Courtyard by Marriott’s fresh market concept.

Nowhere has the change in today’s hotels become more visible than in the lobby. In just a few years, lobbies have gone from being sterile places designed solely for check-in, with maybe a concierge in a four-orfive star property, to being all things to all people.

Anto Vrdoljak, GM of Courtyard by Marriott Toronto Airport, had just completed a $1 million refresh including implementation of the brand’s interactive lobby concept, when Toronto was hit by its biggest snowstorm in many years on Feb. 8. The storm provided a true test of the lobby’s functionality.

2. The Lobby Bar The James Club, Saskatoon

3. Communal Tables The Home2 Suites Inspired Table Fayetteville, SC

“It was a crazy weekend. We went from 30 per cent occupancy to 100 per cent occupancy in a matter of hours as flights were cancelled due to the snow. Guests responded very well to the new lobby,” he said.

Certainly, Courtyard’s ‘refreshing business concept’ is a far cry from the traditional lobby. “Absolutely everything has been redone—the front desk, the market tuck shop, a new floor, the entire restaurant and public spaces,” Vrdoljak said. “There used to be a buffet restaurant—we took up the carpet and flooring right back to the concrete and started again.

“We want the guest to be able to stay their own way, to make them comfortable in the public areas. We want to keep them in-house by offering breakfast and dinner options.”

And, Vrdoljak noted, training is a key component when delivering the new lobby experience, as staff learn how to interact more with guests.

“The Courtyard traveller is a business traveller, but they enjoy mixing pleasure with business—a little bit of ‘me time,’” he said.

Such lobby transformations are not unique to Courtyard by Marriott, although that chain is ahead of the curve in implementation, now that 600 of 900 Courtyards have finished their lobby renovations.

Here are eight of the most popular trends in today’s interactive lobbies.

1. Pods, not front desks.

4. The Living Room The Shangri-La, Toronto

At the Aloft hotel in Vaughan, ON, the front desk is circular, not tucked way and not imposing. Skirting the front desk is a bright city mural common to the chain, which can be changed out seasonally. Aloft is geared towards the Gen X or Gen Y traveller that will make up a large portion of the travel market in the years to come, said Scott Duff, senior director of development, Canada and Alaska for Starwood Hotels & Resorts.

2. The Lobby Bar. The boutique James Hotel in Saskatoon, has a lobby bar made of onyx.

“It’s about luxury, but it also about relaxation paired with personalized service,” Joan Fior, sales manager said.

3. Communal Tables.

7. The Remote Office

Home2 Suites by Hilton calls it the Inspired Table, while Courtyard by Marriott’s Anto Vrdoljak says it’s part of the Stay Your Way concept, where guests can come out of the comfort of the guestroom and feel even more comfortable in the public spaces.

Guests’ offices are more portable than every. They may choose to plug in at the communal table. Or they may sit on the comfortable couches to check their iPhones or work on their tablets. Or they may choose to use computers provided by the hotel as part of the lobby experience.

Sheraton Toronto invites its guests to stay connected at the Link@Sheraton Internet cafe.

4. The Living Room “We want to be seen as Toronto’s living room,” said Jill Killeen, hotel public relations director, who divides her time between Canada’s ShangriLas in Vancouver and Toronto. The Toronto hotel’s lobby is filled with chairs and tables, with its centrepiece a Travertine fireplace. There’s also a white oak Fasioli piano whose lid is carved with the words of Joni Mitchell’s “My Old Man.”

5. Grab and Go Courtyard by Marriott Toronto Airport provides a good example of this with its fast and fresh concept with food prepared fresh to order, open for breakfast and dinner 7 days a week.

6. Fireplaces/Waterwalls Unusual architectural elements such as an oversized fireplace or water walls are becoming features of lobbies.

The Executive Suites Hotel & Resort in Squamish, BC has a traditional fireplace and seating area.

The aforementioned Travertine fireplace is the focus of the Shangri-La in Toronto.

The Pan Pacific hotel in Vancouver has a huge water wall visible to everyone who goes through their lobby. It’s interactive—guests can walk up to it and put their hands to the wall and have the water flow right over their hands.

Courtyard by Marriott Toronto Airport has a special wall with a gallery of pictures showing Toronto attractions such as the Exhibition and the Royal Ontario Museum.

8. Interactive Digital Signs One of the first applications for interactive digital signage was for airline schedules. Now they’re far more sophisticated and available in many branded and unbranded hotels.

Marriott has its Go Board, a large-screen interactive TV that allows guests to see weather forecasts, headline news and information on attractions. At the Courtyard Toronto Airport, it is connected to a printer, so guests can print out directions.

Another example is the Hilton Montreal Bonaventure, which last year gave their hotel a technological facelift through the installation of an extensive digital signage network. Replacing the posters and paper signs the hotel was previously using, the digital displays allow guests to easily navigate their way to conference rooms, while providing quick and convenient access to information on hotel amenities, conference details, and more.

“When our guests and conference attendees arrive, they are greeted with five state-of-the-art 46-inch lobby displays, one of which is fully touch-enabled,” said Stéphane Morin, director sales & marketing, Hilton Montreal Bonaventure in an article in Hotel Technology.

“Each provides complete information about the day’s schedule of events, in addition to specialized streaming content in HD resolution, such as weather, news, and flight information by airline.”

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5. Grab and Go Legal Corner

Courtyard by Marriott, London, ON

By Jay Josefo, Ricketts Harris, LLP

Blue Mountain decision: “Sometimes a swimming pool is just a swimming pool”

“

6. Fireplaces/Waterwalls Executive Suites Hotel & Resort, Squamish, BC

7. The Remote Office Sheraton Centre, Toronto

8. Interactive digital signs Courtyard by Marriott, Toronto Airport

In 2001, I last wrote about the Blue Mountain Resort case (see The Court [had earlier] CLN, June 2011). To summarize, confirmed the OLRB’s finding the Ontario Labour Relations that the pool was a workplace.

Board (OLRB) concluded that Blue Mountain breached its reBlue Mountain appealed further porting obligations under the to the Ontario Court of Appeal.

Ontario Occupational Health I predicted that the Court would & Safety Act (OHSA) when the confirm the prior decisions. I resort failed to report the death am glad to be wrong! The Court of a hotel guest who drowned in of Appeal overturned the prior the hotel pool. Blue Mountain decisions and, in a cogent judgargued that, as the death did not ment, delineated specifically involve a worker, the accident when an accident reporting reporting obligation under the OHSA does not apply. Yet the obligation arises.

OLRB ruled that section 51 of —Jay Josefo the OHSA mandates the reporting of a critical injury/fatality to the Ministry of Labour for all lic welfare statutes does not call for a “persons” if the incident occurs on limitless interpretation of their provicompany premises. sions, however. One of the problems...

By that standard, Ontario em- is that broad language, taken at face ployers, whenever a critical injury or value, can sometimes lead to the adopdeath occurs on the premises, have a tion of overly broad definitions. This reporting obligation to the Ministry. can extend the reach of the legislaFor a retail store, hotel, restaurant, tion far beyond what was intended indeed, any Ontario employer, if by the legislature and afford the regsomeone, not only a worker, is criti- ulating ministry a greatly expanded cally injured or dies on premises, this mandate far beyond what is needed must be reported to the Ministry of to give effect to the purposes of the Labour. The decision of the OLRB legislation [emphasis added].” was upheld by the Divisional Court in 2011. The Court confirmed the The Court also noted that, based OLRB’s finding that the pool was a on the Ministry’s interpretation, if workplace, stating that “any event an accident befell a hockey player or resulting in death or critical injury, spectator at a televised hockey game, even having no potential nexus with the game would have to be shut down worker safety, is reportable [having and the incident, reported to the occurred] in the workplace.”

Ministry. The Court agreed that there Blue Mountain appealed further are ‘endless examples” of what constito the Ontario Court of Appeal. I pre- tutes a workplace, yet “all without any dicted that the Court would confirm causal relationship with a workplace the prior decisions. I am glad to be safety issue”. Those comments send wrong! The Court of Appeal over- a strong message for the proper, thus turned the prior decisions and, in a not open-ended interpretation of all cogent judgment, delineated specifi- public welfare legislation. cally when an accident reporting obFocusing on that requisite cause ligation arises. relationship with workplace safety, The Court of Appeal trenchantly purportedly the focus of the Occuobserved that: pational Health and Safety Act, the

”

“A proper interpretation of the Act requires that there be some reasonable nexus between the hazard giving rise to the death or critical injury and a realistic risk to worker safety at that site. There is no such nexus here.

Sometimes a swimming pool is just a swimming pool.”... The language... in s.51(1) of the Act is undoubtedly intended to capture a wide range of injury-related occurrences affecting the safety and wellbeing of workers. Public welfare legislation is often drafted in very broad, general terms, precisely because it is remedial and designed to promote public safety and to prevent harm in a wide variety of circumstances. For that reason, such legislation is to be interpreted liberally in a manner that will give effect to its broad purpose and objective...This generous approach to the interpretation of pub-

Court offered the following guidance to Ontario employers.

Technomic on Canadian healthy eating trends CHICAGO—In response to changing attitudes and ideas of healthy eating, Technomic has developed The Canadian Healthy Eating Consumer Trend Report.

Findings include: o 81 per cent of consumers reported health as a priority. Of that, 10 per cent do not follow a diet but are health conscious, while 15 per cent try but are unsuccessful at eating healthfully. o Gluten-free is the leading health-oriented descriptor on full-service restaurant menus. o Of the consumers polled, 35 per

“In summary, the notification and reporting requirements of s.51(1) of the Act are engaged where: a) a worker or non-worker (“any person”) is killed or critically injured; b) the death or critical injury occurs at a place where (i) a worker is carrying out his or her employment duties at the time the incident occurs, or, (ii) a place where a worker might reasonably be expected to be carrying out such duties in the ordinary course of his or her work (“workplace”); and c) there is some reasonable nexus between the hazard giving rise to the death or critical injury and a realistic risk to worker safety at that workplace (“from any cause”)”.

Based on that guidance, and the comments of the Court of Appeal which clearly intend to limit the ambit of the Ministry of Labour regarding the OSHA reporting obligation, Ontario employers have a much more pragmatic and practical approach to the important issue of occupational health and safety.

Moreover, I submit that the Ministry also will be able to focus its limited resources on true workplace accidents that require investigation; rather than accidents that occur in a workplace yet absent a causal nexus with workplace safety.

As counsel at Ricketts, Harris Barristers and Solicitors in Toronto, focusing on Human Resources issues, Jay Josefo firmly believes “an answer can always be found to even the knottiest HR issue.” He is also a part-time vice chair of the Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Appeals Tribunal, and a member of the Council of the National Research Council. E-mail: jjosefo@ rickettsharris.com. cent said they would be more likely to visit a restaurant if they have healthy menu items, regardless of whether or not they order those healthy options. o While health claims on menu items tend to lead to a perception of less favourable taste, such perceptions are actually enhanced by health claims such as unprocessed, real and fresh. o Nine out of 10 consumers reported that statements such as low sodium, fat or cholesterol, as well as content descriptors such as full serving of fruit or vegetables and 100 per cent whole wheat, are understood as making food healthier.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Generations face off at HAC Conference 2013 What happens when different generations work together? What are some of the myths that should be debunked, and changes that have to be made to accommodate all generations of workers? Jackie Ross, of JRoss Hospitality Recruiters asked these and other questions of a panel at the Hotel Association of Canada conference on Feb. 5.

ZOOMER

GENERATION Y

MODERATOR (GEN X)

GENERATON X

GENERATION Y

Patrice Basille, Brookstreet Hotel Ottawa

Christie Oreskovich, Delta Chelsea Hotel Toronto

Jackie Ross, JRoss Hospitality Recruiters Toronto

Paul de La Durantaye, Hotel Le Germain Toronto

Bryan Mark Lee, Park Hyatt Toronto

Patrice Basille, executive vice president and general manager of Ottawa’s Brookstreet hotel, says he is a Zoomer, not a Boomer. It’s a term coined by multimedia baron Moses Znaimer who combined “Boomer” with the word “Zip” to produce “Zoomer”.

Basille is a fourth-generation hotelier who got into the hospitality business because he wanted to travel.

Retirement is not imminent. “I’m working with Terry Matthews and will retire when he retires. He’s turning 70 and will retire at 80,” Basille noted.

Basille speaks honestly, saying that money motivates him, but so does recognition from the many industry boards he sits on, friendships, the ability to “do fun stuff,” and to delegate the stuff he doesn’t like to Generation X. Basille has a message for the younger generations. “You think we’re taking your jobs and not sharing experience. That’s not totally true—it’s important to groom people for a succession plan, as you never know when we’re going to have a heart attack.”

Other myths he debunks are lack of adaptability, lack of creativity, and resistence to technology.

Basille says the first 15 years of his career were not easy, combining work and family, and moving 18 times. “[My wife] would stay behind and deal with schools, etc. It was not really fun. I had a two-week vacation and was not very well paid.

“Now I’m taking time off and spending time with my grandchildren who say [to me], ‘You are cool!’

“I never talked to my boss about family; I never told my boss when my wife was sick. Now, I have a neice and nephew who believe sick days are accrued holidays,” he says.

Christie Oreskovich’s father is a freelance writer, meaning that the family often had free stays at hotels. It was during a trip to California, staying at The Gable on Lombard Street, where Jennifer Aniston had notoriously stayed, that Oreskovich got the hospitality bug. She took a year off after high school, then attended the hospitality program at Ryerson University, “where I fell in love with the human resources side of the business.”

After graduation, she got a job as an HR generalist at Marriott, but soon afterward she had a chance to move to an HR management position at the Delta Chelsea. “I want to get to know all aspects of HR at this level, eventually becoming director of human resources,” she says.

Oreskovich is motivated by professional development, and by the impact her work has on the business.

She feels that the ideas that Generation Y feel entitled and that they expect to get into management right away are misconceptions. “I did have a helicopter parent, but I also worked really hard. The idea that we have a poor work ethic is one of the biggest hurdles,” she says.

“When I come to work, I leave everything at home, but when I go home, I leave my work at work,” Oreskovich comments, when asked about work/life balance. “When I work there, I am committed, but I want the same respect when I go home.

“Companies definitely need to treat employees as internal clients. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t want appreciation. Our generation just speaks up when we don’t get it.”

Paul de La Durantaye, area general manager at Hôtel Le Germain Maple Leaf Square, Toronto, started in the business as a part-time reservations agent. “I knew this was where I wanted to be,” he tells the panel. “I wanted to enjoy every step. I rarely looked two steps up, and I had some lateral moves that probably slowed down my move to GM, but made me a better hotelier.” de La Durantaye is motivated by his influence both on the guest experience and on other people’s careers.

One of the great rewards is when someone comes back 20 years later and says that he had an impact on their career.

“I like the pace of our industry— I’m not happy doing two things, I need 100 things to keep me going.” de La Durantaye talks about other generations’ misconceptions about Gen X. “Gen Y thinks were like the Boomers, and Boomers think we’re like Gen Y,” he notes.

“This industry is 24/7, especially in the general manager’s role, where you have responsibility for everything. By leaving work at work, you find work/ life balance. I have a team in place, though I check e-mails and I’m aware of what’s going on. But at this stage, if they’re calling me [at home] it’s a true emergency. It’s easier to have confidence when you’re a desk clerk, but harder as a GM.” de La Durantaye says there are hard working players in all generations, but it is sometimes hard managing the disappointments of younger workers. “I see so much potential, so many growth opportunities, but if they didn’t get the promotion, they leave. If they didn’t get the vacation requested, they leave. “‘I can’t go because I have to work,’ is not part of the vocabulary of Generation Y.”

Coming out of high school, Bryan Mark Lee had no idea what he wanted to do. His first job was at the Park Hyatt, where GM Paul Verciglio noted that he had talent, and encouraged him to go to Ryerson.

Like Orsekovich, Lee wants to be a human resource director in 10 years.

In his view, “hard work plus preparation equals luck.”

It’s not just the money, but the power, respect and influence that go with his career that motivate Lee. “The day I’m asked to be something I’m not, is the day I move on,” he notes.

Lee gets angry when he sees what some other Gen Ys are doing. “I’ve handled interns in the past, who think they can come in and be general manager overnight. When I ask about experience, they’ve been playing basketball or games all day.

“I’ve always been one to do my job effectively, but I like to go fishing in the summer and snowboarding in the winter. I must confess to doing a reference check on a chair lift, once.

“Generation Y will start influencing how collective bargaining takes place,” Lee predicts. “Unions have to adjust to a new clientele who want to be reimbursed for their shoes, have TTC subsidies, gym memberships and paid days off.

“Employees are your No. 1 asset, but you can’t just create a blanket employee recognition program, where you give everyone a Wal Mart gift card.

“Everyone has blinders on, and people can get into small work conflicts. Education regarding the generations can help remove the blinders.”

WHAT MAKES A HOTEL A COOL PLACE TO WORK? Hotels have had a reputation as being formal, traditional places to work, while Generations X and Y prefer informality.

“Brookstreet is a cool hotel,” notes Patrice Basille, the only Zoomer on the panel. “Employees wear T-shirts, they wear black.

We’re ranked as one of the top 10 employers [in Ottawa].

“We had to adapt. We have a games room, a white surface where you play soccer without a ball [aka a Wii], and a cafeteria with different computers. We provide a lot of fun in that section. We have our annual Lip Dub—check it out on YouTube. And everyone calls me Patrice.”

Paul de La Durantaye says he also works in a cool hotel. “We value authenticity in the interactions our staff have with clients.

We give them guidelines and end results, but we don’t script them. ” Uniforms are designed by a local designer and staff “feel cool” in their uniforms, he says. In Groupe Germain’s ALT hotel, everyone wears jeans and colourful shirts.

But, notes Bryan Mark Lee, it depends on your target audience.

“When you meet the valet in the driveway of the Park Hyatt, you expect the nice suit, and certain verbiage—the luxe market thrives on that.”

Christie Oreskovich says coolness is all about relationships—an atmosphere where you can have both casual and business conversations with your GM.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

Marilyn Carlson Nelson steps down Continued from page 1

the first to open along a newly constructed access road near the Calgary International Airport on May 1. This hotel will have 126 rooms with enough meeting space to accommodate 600 guests.

“It has a beautiful hotel lobby with an open stairwell leading down to the basement, where many of the conference rooms are located,” said Sean Shannon, vice president, development, Canada. This hotel is close to both commercial developments and a residential area, suitable for professional events, weddings and social gatherings.

In addition, construction will soon begin on a 228-room Park Inn by Radisson Calgary Airport. This hotel will cater specifically to business professionals with a state-of-the art business centre and meeting space. The hotel is

scheduled for completion in the first quarter of 2015.

While Shannon stops short of calling the two adjacent Carlson hotels a “campus,” as Marriott and Hilton do, he says there will be synergies between the two properties. The Radisson is business oriented with weekday business, while the Park Inn by Radisson has more of a leisure component and more weekend business. While the Park Inn is a bigger property, it has a smaller meeting space. The two hotels can work together to the benefit of both, notes Shannon.

Still seeking Radisson Blu location Shannon reports that Carlson hopes to sign a deal for a new Country Inn and Suites north of Toronto. They have been looking at a potential asset in Whistler, and are very close to a deal in Montreal, possibly for a Radisson Blu, the upper

tier of the bifurcated Radisson brand.

“There are about 15 other potential opportunities. If I got six of them, I’d feel good,” says Shannon.

“There’s such a focus on growth in the country. I’m the first to admit that we didn’t have a good a focus a few years back, but now our sole focus is on primary, secondary and tertiary markets in Canada.”

Carlson Nelson passes gavel At the conference, Marilyn Carlson Nelson introduced her daughter, Diana Nelson, who will be taking over her position as Carlson chair.

Nelson, who will officially assume her position in May, has served on the board for nearly ten years. She will be only the third chairman of the Carlson Nelson hugs her daughter board, preceded by her mother and her grandfa- Marilyn Diana Nelson, who will be taking over as ther, the company’s founder, Curt Carlson. chairman of Carlson in May.

Canadians win top awards Carpet Extractors

CHICAGO--Canadians took top honours at Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group’s Full Service Business conference held Feb. 26-28 in Chicago.

Patty Schweighardt, general manager of the Radisson Saskatoon, received a coveted prize as the Radisson Saskatoon was named Hotel of the Year Full Service.

The Radisson Saskatoon recently completed an $18 million, four year renovation, with corresponding improvements in customer satisfaction and service performance.

Lee McIntrye, general manager, Park Inn & Suites Vancouver Broadway, was honoured with a Special Achievement of the Year Award for Park Inn by Radisson.

McIntyre’s hotel led the North American brand in revenue generation, occupancy and rate thanks to a “very strong, consistent, professional local and regional marketing effort,” said Scott Meyer, VP Operations for Carlson Hotels Worldwide, in presenting the award.

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Above left: Patty Schweighardt, general manager, Radisson Hotel Saskatoon, holds her award, flanked by Thorsten Kirschke (left), COO Carlson Hotels and president Carlson Hotels, Americas, and Steve Vallevand (right), VP operations, Eastern Canada for SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts.

Above right: Lee McIntyre (left), general manager, Park Inn & Suites Vancouver Broadway, receives his award from Scott Meyer, VP Operations, Carlson Hotels Worldwide.

M A R C H 2 013

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P ROVINCIAL

Cooking with beer at SHHA REGINA, SK—Malcolm Craig, chef and partner in Beer Brothers Restaurant in Regina will guide delegates to the Saskatchewan Hotel & Hospitality Association conference in a seminar on Cooking with Beer. Craig, who hails from England where he ran a gastro-pub, will host the seminar on April 16 at the Delta Hotel & Conference Centre in Regina.

“We’re excited about this year’s conference,” said association president and CEO Tom Mullin. “We have a combination of interesting subjects, both on the accommodation and liquor and gaming sides. The final PKF statistics for 2012 in Saskatchewan are out, and everyone is pretty buoyed about last year and the year going forward.”

This year’s two-day event will begin on a Monday, a departure from past conferences which began on Sunday. SHHA made the change so that people didn’t have to take part of their weekend to attend.

A one-day tradeshow will kick off the events on April 15. Separating the tradeshow and conference components means that delegates won’t have conflicting conference sessions. The tradeshow will be followed by a Fun Night at the Hotel Saskatchewan Radisson Plaza.

Conference sessions begin in earnest on April 16 with a breakfast presentation by the Service and Hospitality Safety Association (SHSA), which has been instrumental in bringing Workers’ Compensation Board pricing down in partnership with SHHA. Saskatchewan did have the second worst injury rate in Canada, with high premiums to match.

Accommodation delegates can attend seminars on Developing and Coaching Culture, led

by Sarah Thompson of Lead by Design; a legal session dealing with due diligence and the Server Intervention Program.

The conference will also provide information on Canada’s new accredited accommodation program which combines Canada’s Star Quality Accommodation Rating Program with the Hotel Association of Canada’s hotel directory.

Liquor and gaming seminars include an SLGA regulatory session Q&A, dealing with the more than 70 changes aimed at modernizing this sector and privatization of government liquor stores; a presentation by the Saskatchewan Liquor Vendors Association; and a presentation titled Keys for Successfully Marketing your Hotel, Restaurant or Bar. In other changes, the Reception and Awards Celebration will be held in the evening, instead of at lunch time.

Premier Brad Wall has been invited to address the delegates at lunch on Tuesday.

Save the date—Oct. 8 2013 for the MHA Tradeshow WINNIPEG—The Manitoba Hotel Associa-

tion’s tradeshow returns to the Victoria Inn Hotel October 8, 2013. The show attracts buyers from restaurants, hotels, motels and nightclubs.

Business is good in the province, which is experiencing a sustained hotel building boom.

Hotels and restaurants have also recorded strong sales growth for several years.

TAPping Newfoundland’s Uncommon Potential ST. JOHN’S—The Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism Board is leading the effort to elevate the quality of tourism services and attractions available in the province by developing a new Tourism Assurance Plan (TAP).

All tourism services and attractions will need to comply with five common minimum standards by May 31, 2014 in order to participate in provincial marketing and development initiatives, qualify for membership in Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador (HNL) and participate in partnership/membership activities with regional Destination Management Organizations (DMOs).

The standards are: 1. The ability to communicate and receive messages from customers by telephone, e-mail and an online presence; and at a minimum, accept credit and/or debit card payment and respond to inquiries on a daily basis.

2. Possess and maintain valid licenses, permits and all other regulatory requirements to operate.

3. Maintain current and sufficient levels of liability insurance. Proof of insurance to be provided upon request.

4. Must deliver actual experiences or services being promoted and/or offered to the consumer.

5. Must be in good standing with Tourism Assurance Plan’s complaints procedure.

Over the course of the last several months, a series of consultation and information sessions have been provided regarding the TAP. Those operators who are concerned they may not meet the standards are encouraged to contact their DMO for further direction on where to access resources to meet these standards.

For more information on TAP go to www. uncommonpotential.com

NEWS

Liquor license changes in BC VICTORIA—Last month, the provincial government announced that caterers can now apply for a liquor license which will make BC’s hospitality industry more appealing to international conferences and special events.

Existing licensed establishments – such as restaurants, hotels, and conference centres – now also have the ability to supply liquor at catered events held at offsite locations.

For example, an outdoor wedding could be catered with full liquor service by the couple’s favourite restaurant, or an out-of-town convention could retain a single catering company to provide both food and liquor to their conference delegates.

“In line with the government’s direction on reducing red tape and regulation, this is another common sense policy change that will give catering companies the ability to add services, creating happier customers and increasing employment. Well done,” said Ian Tostenson, president, British Columbia Restaurant and Foodservices Association.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

CLEANING IT UP

Laundry feature to come from Marni Andrews

By Marni Andrews, Contributing Editor

Mention ozone and most people think of the atmospheric layer.

Introduce it to a laundry operation, however, and the results can be impressive. Terry Cook, laundry manager for the 406room Great Wolf Lodge in Niagara Falls, discovered this after installing the EnvirO3matic Advanced Laundry Oxidation System in August 2011.

“Not only did management see a reduction in hot water, utility and chemical consumption, we also noticed an increase in production as we can now wash over 100 loads a day with the ozone system,” he declares.

Ozone’s popularity John Loncar, national account manager, commercial sales for Union Gas Limited says that while ozone laundry systems have been on the market for more than 20 years, they are receiving new attention for their ability to effectively clean, disinfect and reduce costs in a reliable, safe and environmentally friendly way.

“Ozone is a strong oxidizer and disinfectant. In fact, it disinfects 3,000 times faster than chlorine, but unlike chlorine leaves no harmful or toxic byproducts behind, only pure oxygen,” explains Loncar. “It’s also a powerful biocide with a 99.5 to 99.7 per cent killing rate for bacteria and viruses (about 150 per cent more effective than chlorine).”

Ozone can be a powerful booster for an existing laundry system. Loncar says that a properly designed installation can reduce hot water usage by as much as 85 per cent, reduce water consumption by 30 per cent, shorten wash cycles and dry times and improve wash quality for whiter, brighter, softer linens.

Great Wolf Lodge washes approximately 10,000 towels per day. The new system from Coinamatic allows towels and linens to be washed in cold water, 68 degrees F rather than the previous 140 degrees. The drop in temperature allows staff to remove towels and linens immediately after the wash cycle and put them directly into the dryer, increasing efficiency. Plus the fibres are lifted with the ozone, which produces a softer, fluffier feel.

“Many guests have asked us what we wash our linens with as they smell so fresh and clean,” says Cook.

Union Gas recognized Great Wolf Lodge’s new system as a green solution with rebates of up to $6,000 per unit through their EnerSmart program.

They say a typical laundry facility using an EnvirO3matic ozone unit can generate enough savings to achieve full ROI within nine to 18 months.

The biggest trend in laundry is the implementation of ozone systems for smaller on-premise laundries, says Gerry McMaster, director of laundry operations for Atlific Hotels and Ocean Properties Ltd., who oversees laundry operations for more than 40 hotels in Canada and more than 70 in the U.S. “Housekeeping products have drastically reduced and/or eliminated the use of phosphates over the past several years to keep hotels as green as possible, and single-use and/or concentrated cleaning products have reduced waste and the need to calculate complicated dilution methods,” says McMaster.

“We have also implemented a reusable nylon bag program for the collection of soiled linens in many hotels, reducing the cost of single use plastic bags and keeping plastic out of the garbage.”

Going “green” has been the major focus for the industry for the past two years, with hoteliers looking for more cost-effective solutions to manage rising utility costs, says Mike Pilolli, director of commercial laundry, Coina-

matic Canada Inc., who endorses ozone technology as one of the most efficient systems available for energy saving.

Labour is largest cost The biggest complaints of operators continue to be cost and of course one of the largest costs is labour, says Robert McNamara, general manager, hospitality division for Jani-King Canada, which provides trained housekeeping personnel and overnight cleaning programs.

“Hotels have found that if they partner with an outside company, they can supplement their staffing level based on occupancy. This helps them manage operating costs more effectively,” he explains.

Pilolli recounts a recent survey of commercial laundry distributors and managers in which 79 per cent of respondents believed OPL’s over-dry by more than eight minutes a cycle. The annual utility cost of over-dry can easily reach thousands of dollars while the annual labour cost is much more.

Another trend is the move away from low spin, low cost washers towards higher spin speed washers that remove more water to shorten dry time, says Steve Hietpas, national sales manager, Maytag Commercial Laundry.

“Ten or 20 years ago, people wanted a washer at the lowest cost. They have really opened up their thinking and are now looking at total cost of operation—whether labour, natural gas or linen life. Labour is the largest

cost of the laundry and linen is second,” he says.

A move from a 100 G-Force washer to a 350 G-Force washer can reduce dry time by about 10 minutes, which would typically save hundreds of dollars in natural gas over a couple of years, says Hietpas. But the real saving is in labour—hundreds of dollars in a year if laundry hours are cut back or allow staff to be deployed to other tasks in the hotel.

“In the laundry, 45 to 50 per cent of costs are associated with labour, while equipment, linen replacement, utilities and chemicals are roughly 12 to 15 per cent each,” says Bill Brooks, North American sales manager for UniMac, who notes that since hoteliers started investing in luxury linens with much higher thread counts, triple sheeting and ultra-thick bedspreads and duvets, laundry volume and processing time has increased.

John R. Rasimas Jr., regional sales manager, Pellerin Milnor Corporation, thinks the increased volume and weight of linen has upped room laundry poundage by as much as 50 per cent in many cases.

UniMac introduced the UW65 last August, the most powerful hardmount washer-extractor on the market with 400 G-Force. It is equipped with spray rinse to save thousands of gallons of water per year and decrease cycle time, says Brooks. It also has UniLinc control, which monitors machine performance to identify key production measures and provide reports including maintenance logs.

One clear benefit of the reporting function is the time and date stamping of the last 25 completed loads. Managers can see what time a cycle started and ended. If there are long periods of time between cycles, this could indicate that staff are not working as efficiently as possible. Brooks calls it an “on-site laundry manager.”

Labour and quality issues can also be addressed through restricting the fast forwarding of cycles. Some laundry managers have reported employees skipping certain cycles in order to expedite the laundry process so they can leave earlier or get by with doing less work. With this feature turned on, managers know that linens are being fully cleaned to the standards specified.

A delayed start option allows a cycle to begin just before a new shift.

Employees can load the machine at the end of one day so employees can immediately move the linens to the dryer at the beginning of the next shift with no delay. This allows for one extra load to be processed per day.

Franco Falcucci, regional general manager for Bona Hospitality, which operates three hotels and a conference centre in Ottawa, is very happy with their UniMac equipment. He says the equipment at the 179-room Hampton Inn by Hilton (shared with the 397-room Courtyard by Marriott) is almost 14 years old but has required only minimal repairs despite three eight-hour shifts of use. Falcucci notes that there is ample space between and around units as well, which makes for easy servicing.

M A R C H 2 013

Saving time, energy, water

Green cleaning

Rasimas of Pellerin Milnor mentions time- and energy-saving features such as Rinsave and ExactExtract on many of their washer-extractor models. Rinsave can eliminate the need for up to two rinses and saves up to 0.4 gallons per pound or 10 litres per kilogram. ExactExtract ensures the highest possible extract every cycle with speeds up to 300 G’s without incurring out of balance delays, which mean increased labour costs. Milnor’s electronic touch screen technology allows control of water levels to 1/10 of an inch, selective extract speeds and precise temperature control.

Milnor’s recently patented PulseFlow process reduces water consumption to less than one-half of typical tunnel water usage but increases output per module. This makes the application feasible for operators in the 1,000-pound per hour (450 kg) category.

“With the Tunnel system everything is weighed up front so there is no underloading or overloading. Water is preset for the weight. Ours is 120 pounds per load,” says John Dicicco, owner, Superior Laundry Services Ltd. in Welland, Ontario, who uses the Milnor PulseFlow Tunnel. “In our industry, people think bigger is better and they buy an 800-lb machine but their actual loads are maybe 300-400 pounds, so they use double the water.”

“Every laundry worker is trained not to underload the washer. But the reality is human error happens. In two informal industry studies, responses indicate 60 to 70 per cent of all wash loads are underloaded. This negatively affects labour costs, water costs, energy costs and laundry chemical costs,” says Kim Shady, senior executive vice-president, OPL sales, Laundrylux.

Electrolux washers with Compass control can weigh a load before the water is added to reduce the water level throughout the wash cycle, says Shady.

When the load size is smaller and the water is automatically adjusted, there should be a corresponding decrease in the amount of chemicals as well.

Electrolux partnered with Hydro Systems Nova controls to offer a chemical dispenser that communicates with the washer control (called Smart Dosing) to do this, he adds.

Two hotels in Winnipeg—Inn at the Forks and Place Louis Riel—are very happy with their switch to a green cleaning program from Avmor. The 116-room Inn at the Forks was already using cards to educate guests about the importance of reusing towels and conserving water. But they had received complaints from housekeeping employees who experienced rashes on their hands and forearms from cleaning products. The next step was moving to EcoPure green cleaning products with a dilution control system.

Barb Walker, housekeeping manager, says EcoPure has simplified the hotel’s cleaning program. The colourcoded products and wall charts are helpful for employees, many of whom do not speak English as their first language.

Place Louis Riel management had also received complaints from employees about skin irritations from cleaning products. They adopted two Avmor lines: EcoPure and Biomor as well as the Avmixx dilution control system. Since the implementation of the dilution control, Place Louis Riel has reduced their SKU’s, improving the hotel’s bottom line.

“There is greater consumer awareness about cleanliness in hotel rooms.

It is a germaphobic world and people are putting a lot of pressure on housekeeping staff and hotels to make sure rooms are clean and disinfected,” explains Paul Goldin, Avmor’s chief sustainability officer.

“Housekeepers usually work in an enclosed area with no ventilation, cleaning rooms five days a week. A green, sustainable alternative so they don’t get headaches or get dizzy can literally change their lives. We’re seeing the evolution of the cleaning industry.”

There is a perception that green costs more and doesn’t work as well, but the actual quality and cost of these products is as good as or better than conventional products, says Goldin, who adds that a big part of the green movement is concentrated products that reduce packaging.

McNamara of Jani-King suggests an energy management program for housekeeping to better control electricity, gas and water operational costs.

For example, room attendants can be trained to set room thermostats at a certain temperature depending on the time of year.

“Efficiency is linked to profitability,” explains McNamara, who says many hotels look at housekeeping as an expense line rather than a profit centre.

Crossover Washer Laundrylux also offers Wascomat products, one of the newest of which is the commercial standard, small chassis Crossover Washer, which uses 50 per cent less water and up to 30 per cent less energy.

| 17

www.can-lodgingnews.com “In fact, some hotels have looked at options on how to change compensation. Some pay housekeepers or bonus them by how many rooms they complete within standards. This motivates them to be efficient. Another idea is a ‘Deep Cleaning’ strategy, i.e., deep cleaning some rooms each month rather than all at once since this is easier and cheaper in the long run.”

Hotels want to be greener, says Felicia Roy, trade advisor, Cascades Tissue Group, the largest producer of tissue paper in Canada. The company’s North Previous page: Photo courtesy Jani-King HospitalRiver brand is 100 ity. Above: Ocean Properties laundry facility. Below: per cent recycled Coinamatic laundry room. with third party certifications and the only two or three boilers though, your only brand to offset all electricity used capacity is down by one-third to onefor its production with Green-e renew- half, a much bigger impact.” able wind energy.

Hoffman also mentions condensAs an example of a time- and mon- ing water heaters, which are from 90 ey-saving product, Roy suggests the to 98 per cent efficient compared to Flex Wipes refillable wiper and bucket about 80 per cent efficiency without system that eliminates the need for condensing technology. The newer open solution buckets, cleaning sprays technology basically captures the 20 and dirty rags. A clean, pre-saturated per cent of heat lost to exhaust and towel each time controls cross con- transfers it to water through a secondtamination while the bucket allows for ary heat exchanger. For commercial easy placement on cleaning carts. operations with a $10,000 annual wa“Illness-causing germs may sur- ter bill, typical savings would be about vive on hard surfaces for as long as 72 10 per cent, which can make the differhours,” says Roy. “Statistics demon- ence in cost for the unit, he says. strate the importance of surface cleanThe two most recently built Le ing in reducing the transmission of Germain boutique hotels in Calgary infectious disease in all types of hotel and in Toronto, and the company’s facilities.”

ALT Hotel chain were designed and The Cascades’ Busboy colour- built for environmental conservation coded towel system along with proper and efficiency, says Stacey Masson, sanitizing procedures can be a solution national director of communications, to help eliminate cross contamination, Groupe Germain Hospitality. All launshe says. This system identifies differ- dering processes chain wide are done ent cleaning tasks, for example in the in-house for quality control and the kitchen and bar area, with specific co- water used in the washing machines at lour-coded towels in a way that is sim- the newest hotels is heated with geople to implement and easy to monitor. thermal energy with the heat recovered once the water has been used.

Water heating It is easy for hoteliers and suppliThe biggest complaint from ho- ers to forget how the scale of laundry/ teliers seen by Trey Hoffman, global housekeeping requirements can awe product manager for Rinnai America guests who think in terms of residenCorporation, is lack of hot water, tial applications. But since these dewhich can be caused in three ways-- partments are so integral to the busithrough a broken hot water tank, un- ness, they play an important role in dersized water heating technology, or a guest satisfaction, which plays to the decline in capacity over time. bottom line.

Assuming a property has been corGerry McMaster of Atlific Hotels rectly assessed for capacity, Hoffman and Ocean Properties recalls the time says a tankless water heater can offer a a guest who loved the quality and real advantage for the other two prob- presentation of linens during her stay lems. Also known as an “on demand” wanted to visit the laundering plant or “instantaneous” water heater, a tan- in Toronto to purchase their laundry kless unit heats water as it’s being used soap and see the “ironing board” used and is about the size of carry-on lug- for the sheets. He showed her around, gage. explained they use 208-litre drums of “You’d need several tankless units-- various chemicals and that the ironmaybe four to 20 depending on num- ing is done with a $135,000 Flatwork ber of rooms,” suggests Hoffman. “But Ironer that dries, presses and folds 600 the great thing is redundancy. If you sheets per hour. He suggested he could have 10 units and one goes down or has obtain one for her if she liked. She left an error code, you still have nine which suitably impressed by the guest relashould be enough to get by. If you have tions!

Four Keys to a Lean Laundry Operation John Enright, technical representative, Harco Co Ltd, has a few suggestions for a leaner laundry operation.

“The key is for the owner to know as much as possible in terms of how many pounds of goods he needs to wash and how much labour he needs. For the laundry team, it is not about washing and drying and folding; it is a material handling job and a mindset of how many pieces do I need to produce to meet the demand,” says Enright.

1.

I see growing laundry volumes as franchisors and independent properties raise linen profiles with higher thread counts, duvets on beds, and triple sheeting. While this helps sell rooms, it has a huge impact at the back of the hotel because the laundry has not been upgraded to process the increased volume. For example, there may be a 20 per cent increase in room linen volume but no corresponding increase in machinery or people to process it.

2.

Leasing is a great way to upgrade laundry machinery because it defers lines of credit and makes big ticket items more affordable. I urge every owner, manager or operator to explore the leasing option.

3.

Invest in machinery with programmable features. If a washer can be set to reduce each rinse by two minutes, a fill step by 30 seconds and provide quicker drain responses, at the end of the day that washer extractor has saved the hotelier a good half hour or more (labour-money). Most newer washers have an inverter drive that cuts electricity bills by a third.

4.

It’s not for everyone but with the right volume an ozone laundry system is an excellent way to save up to 70 per cent on hot water usage, and provide longer linen life and cleaner linens.

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18 |

CANADIAN hotel investment conference MAY 28+29, 2013

HILTON TORONTO HOTEL HOSTED BY

HOTELINVEST.CA Program Highlights: ➽ ➽ ➽ ➽ ➽

Up & Coming Markets The Pipeline. What’s Being Built & Where?

Canadian Hotel Financing Activity Small Market Hotel Options Advocacy For The Canadian Hotel Industry

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

OP E N I NG S , S A L E S A N D R E NO VAT ION S

St. Regis circa 1940 and today (below)

DoubleTree expands in Canada TORONTO, REGINA—Hilton Worldwide and Bayview Hospitality Group (BHG) recently announced that the landmark Metropolitan Hotel Toronto, which BHG recently acquired along with the hotel’s two restaurants, will become downtown Toronto’s first DoubleTree by Hilton.

BHG will continue to operate the hotel when it converts to a DoubleTree by Hilton later this year.

Bayview currently manages five Hilton-branded hotels in Southern Ontario, including the Hampton Inn by Hilton Toronto Airport Corporate Centre, and Homewood Suites

by Hilton at Toronto airport, in Mississauga, Oakville and Cambridge.

In other DoubleTree news, the Regina Inn is closed for a complete makeover, and will reopen as The DoubleTree Hotel by Hilton next fall. SilverBirch Hotels & Resorts closed the hotel on Jan. 1.

Features of the new hotel will include spacious and modern guestrooms, a new full service restaurant and lounge featuring a vibrant bar as well as a SilverBirch Conference Centre, providing the latest in conferencing technology and meeting amenities.

And Canada is not the only country DoubleTree is targeting. Hilton Worldwide has signed a multi-unit management agreement with BG Group of Hotels to manage four hotels, marking the company’s entry into Australia’s Northern Territory and the introduction of the DoubleTree by Hilton brand into Australia.

St. Regis Hotel celebrates 100 years

MIX ‘N MINGLE @ TWO RECEPTIONS! MAY 28Th, 6pM The Networking Reception Of The Year!

MAY 29Th, 5pM Join delegates from the Canadian RestauRant investment summit

CONFIRMED SPONSORS TO DATE

VANCOUVER—In the 100 years since The St. Regis Hotel first opened its doors on March 15th, 1913, Vancouver has grown from a rough and tumble port into one of the world’s’ iconic cities. The St. Regis has grown up with it, recently being named one of Canada’s Top 30 Hotels in the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Choice Awards.

To celebrate it’s imminent 100th Birthday, the St. Regis Hotel is offering a total of 1000 room nights from December to April at just $100 per night (plus applicable taxes).

The St. Regis Hotel will donate $5 from every voucher to charitable organizations in downtown Vancouver.

Jane’s—Red River College’s anchor

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WINNIPEG—Canada’s newest hospitality and culinary school opened its anchor restaurant today—Jane’s—the final piece in a 10-storey school where students learn, work and live in a European-style facility—all housed in a fully renovated historic building.

“From here we are going to attract people from around the world to Winnipeg,” said Red River College president Stephanie Forsyth as she opened the doors to Jane’s—the opulent 90-seat fine dining restaurant of the Paterson GlobalFoods Institute—in the 1904 restored Union Bank Tower in downtown Winnipeg.

“As the anchor restaurant, Jane’s provides the finishing touches to a school that the Canadian hospitality industry has been requesting for decades—a Canadian equivalent of the finest hotel and culinary schools in Europe. This is Canada’s answer. The Paterson GlobalFoods Institute combines culinary, baking and pastry arts, mixology and hospitality management with a student residence.”

Jane’s is named after Jane B. Paterson, the mother of Andrew B. Paterson, the current owner of Paterson GlobalFoods Inc. Andrew Paterson says that his mother, who

Red River College president Stephanie Forsyth opens the doors to Jane’s Restaurant

passed away in 2003, would have been proud to dine at Jane’s restaurant; she always appreciated hard work and youth who were learning a trade.

Temple Hotels buys three NS hotels WINNIPEG—Temple Hotels has announced an agreement to buy the Prince George Hotel, Cambridge Suites Hotel Halifax and Cambridge Suites Hotel Sydney, Nova Scotia for $87.5 million.

The deal encompasses 549 guest rooms and is valued at a rate of $159,380 per room, subject to customary closing adjustments.

The Prince George Hotel, Halifax, features 203 guest rooms, two restaurants, lounge, 5,900 square feet of meeting space, indoor pool and whirlpool, fitness room, business centre, vending area, 6,220 square feet of leasable commercial space and 228-stall underground parking garage.

Cambridge Suites Hotel Halifax features 200 suites, a restaurant, 3,000 square feet of meeting space, indoor whirlpool, exercise room, business centre, market pantry, 28,080 square feet of leasable commercial space and 123 parking spaces.

Located in downtown Sydney, Nova Scotia, is the Cambridge Suites Hotel Sydney with 145-suites, restaurant, lounge, 1,500 square feet of meeting space, indoor whirlpool, exercise room, business centre, market pantry and 115 parking spaces.

M A R C H 2 013

Centennial’s new Culinary Arts Centre

Shyam Ranganathan with Bal Arneson and chef Jürg Roth at the Culinary Arts Centre.

SCARBOROUGH—Centennial College celebrated the official opening of their Culinary Arts Centre on Feb. 13 with a ceremonial ribbon cutting and cultural celebrations that reflect the diverse school. The $3.5 million new facility houses two professional kitchens and a bake shop lab in a total of 7,600 square feet.

“This is a true testament of Centennial College’s commitment to provide our students with a world class education,” said Shyam Ranganathan, dean of the School of Hospitality, Tourism and Culture. The centre is located in Centennial Progress campus’ Residence and Conference Centre and has been under construction since June, says Ranganathan. One kitchen split a former conference room in half offering an open kitchen, and dining or meeting space ideal for hosting culinary events.

In line with celebrating cultural diversity at Centennial, a traditional dance was performed by two aboriginal students to open the event, as well as a Chinese dragon dance and salsa routine by the Canadian junior champions to close the evening.

Host of the Food Network’s Spice Goddess, Bal Arneson was on hand for the ribbon cutting and prior to the event spent an evening using the new facility for a special cooking class working from her own cookbooks, Bal’s Quick and Healthy Indian, and Everyday Indian: 100 Fast, Fresh and Healthy Recipes.

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Marketing Silver Star Resort VERNON, BC—When Marke Dickson arrived at his new job as sales and marketing director for Silver Star Resort last fall, the resort had just celebrated its 10-millionth visitor. And Dickson is pleased to report that since then, business levels, which had been quite flat since 2008/09, are coming on strong.

“Christmas and New Years were the strongest we’ve seen—we had 100 per cent occupancy through New Years.”

North American business is okay, though they have seen a decline in long-haul business from Germany, the UK, Australia and New Zealand. But the main short-haul markets—Vancouver, the Okanagan, Edmonton, Calgary, Red Deer, and Seattle, Washington—are doing just fine.

“People who are close to us really understand Silver Star,” Dickson told CLN. It’s a little quieter and more family-oriented than its sister resort, Big White, for example.

Dickson credits some of this year’s success to My1Pass, an all-inclusive Season Pass and lift ticket. With the My1Pass, full-day downhill lift pass holders have free unlimited access to Silver Star’s 55 kilometres of Nordic trails, 16 km of mapped and marked snowshoe trails, Tube Town Adventure Park and outdoor skating on Brewer’s Pond.

“With the My1Pass, parents don’t have to keep pulling out $20 bills every time their kids want to try something new,” he said. They also avoid the mindset where they sit in their condo because it’s too expensive to do anything.

He told CLN that the Nordic ski season starts in mid-November at Silver Star, with the resort’s popular training school for everyone “from firsttimers to big-timers.

“It’s a great sport if you want wellness and health,” Paulsen told CLN. “Canadians run away from winter—and winter is huge in Canada.

One of our best natural resources is snow. Everyone is aging, and they don’t want to give up their love of winter sports. I like opening their eyes to Nordic skiing.”

Right: Marke Dickson in front of the World’s largest snowball adorned with skis, boards and hockey sticks.

Add a touch of genius to your wash.

World’s largest snowball Staff at Silver Star were excited about the new BC Family Day holiday in February—and they had lobbied hard to make sure it didn’t coincide with the Alberta and Saskatchewan holiday in the third weekend in February—because the resort was already fully booked for that weekend.

In honour of the first BC Family Day holiday, Silver Star created the world’s largest snowball. At 3.6 metres tall and weighing in at 18,000 kilograms, the snowball surpasses the previous record by 1.5 metres.

Dickson said that business on the new BC holiday weekend was up 30 per cent from last year.

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Milnor’s MilTouch control is flexible. It’s easy to navigate. It might even be a genius.

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Early start for Nordic skiers Guy Paulsen, Nordic manager, has been a member of the Silver Star Ski School for over 25 years and has represented both Silver Star Mountain Resort and the Canadian Ski Instructor’s Alliance nationally and internationally at numerous ski-related events and competitions.

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20 |

CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

PEOPLE

Alan Young, VP of strategic partnerships, TrustYou ORM

Stéphane Modat, restaurant chef, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac

Jeffery Young, regional director, food and beverage, Coast Hotels

Louis Simard, executive chef, Fairmont Château Laurier

Bonnie Strome (right) is taking over the position of general manager of the Park Hyatt Toronto from Paul Verciglio, who retired recently.

experienced food and beverage veteran Jeffery Young as regional director of food and beverage. Jeffery’s experience spans positions as corporate chef for the Browns Restaurant Group, to roles with individual hotels and brands including the Westin Whistler, Long Beach Lodge and Resort, the Century Plaza Hotel, Fairmont Hotels and the Four Seasons, where he held positions as both sous chef and executive chef.

George J. Riedel (left) and Maximilian Riedel, Riedel Crystal

TrustYou, an online reputation management (ORM) company for the hospitality industry, has appointed Alan Young as its VP of strategic partnerships. Based out of Ontario, Young will be instrumental in spearheading TrustYou’s aggressive growth plans in North America, and will also be targeting destinations and key players in the online travel space. He brings three decades of in-depth industry experience and a proven track record in driving bottom-line results.

Most recently he was VP, field marketing, for Infor, the second largest supplier of information technology solutions to the global hotel and gaming industry.

Coast Hotels recently welcomed

Loews Hotels & Resorts has appointed Richard Senechal, to executive vice president of facilities.

Senechal, who joined Loews Hotels & Resorts in 2005, has played an integral role as the company continues to expand its brand. Currently he is overseeing extensive renovations taking place within the Loews Philadelphia Hotel, Loews Vanderbilt Hotel in Nashville and Loews Hollywood Hotel.

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac has appointed Stéphane Modat as restaurant chef. This new position within the kitchen brigade of the Château Frontenac was created as part of the major renovation project set to begin shortly, which includes the reinvention and renovation of all restaurant outlets. Modat will act as restaurant chef of the existing Le Champlain restaurant, bringing his

Richard Senechal, executive vice president of facilities, Loew’s Hotels

Nicholas Carson leaves his position as GM of the Prince George Hotel

Michael Duggan returns to Nita Lake lodge as general manager

personal touch to the menu until its temporary closure for renovations in June 2013. Then he will help develop the new restaurant concepts and take the reins as restaurant chef for the reopening scheduled for late 2013.

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac is still seeking an executive chef following the announcement of former executive chef Jean Soulard’s departure January 28.

Claude J. Sauvé, general manager, Fairmont Château Laurier recently announced that Louis Simard had been appointed executive chef. With over 15 years of culinary experience, this 34-year-old French Canadian chef is eager to bring a young and vibrant approach to this historic castle .Simard is no stranger to Fairmont hotels, having worked in five across Canada and the United States.

Bonnie Strome has been appointed general manager of the 336-room Park Hyatt hotel in Yorkville. Strome previously spent eight years at the Park Hyatt Toronto as the director of rooms before assuming the position of general manager at the Hyatt Regency Toronto on King Street. With over 17 years of leadership experience in the hotel industry, this seasoned leader has been involved in many facets of the operation.

“Bonnie and I have worked to-

gether for 8 years,” says retiring general manager Paul Verciglio.

“I cannot think of a better person to carry on the values that the Park Hyatt hotel has established in Toronto.”

After 50 years in the hotel business, Nicholas Carson is retiring as general manager of the Prince George Hotel, which was recently sold to Temple Hotels and is now operated

by Atlific Hotels.

“2013 marks my 50th year in the Hotel business and I have been very proud to have served the last 27 years as general manager of this four diamond property,” Carson said in an e-mail.

“It is therefore with a genuine sense of sadness I have decided this change presents an opportunity for me to pursue other interests and have therefore elected to retire. I shall leave the hotel today confident in the knowledge that the quality of food, service and hospitality for which we have long been recognized will continue in the capable hands of the great team of people I leave behind.”

Carson has not left the industry altogether—he added that he fully intends to maintain his involvement in various hotel, tourism and business related organizations.

Tony Dunn, general manager of the Sheraton Centre Toronto has announced the appointment of Arjun Channa as the new hotel manager. Channa’s career began as the restaurant manager at the Sheraton Abu Dhabi before transitioning to the Sheraton Entertainment Centre in Amman, Jordan as the entertainment centre manager. From there, he moved into the role of food and beverage director at the Great Wall Sheraton Hotel Beijing before joining the team at the Sheraton Jumeirah Beach Resort and Towers Hotel in Dubai as the executive assistant manager.

Choice Hotels International has announced several promotions: Mike Shemer has been named VP of business planning, John Bonds is becoming SVP of strategy and services and Jay Sigona is the new VP of brand operations.

Shemer has served in a number of roles within Choice Hotels, with responsibilities in Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, finance and project management.

Bonds joined Choice Hotels in 2006; he has served as the director of Business Intelligence, senior director of information technology program management and as senior director of information technology strategy & planning.

Sigona has served in a number of roles over his nearly 20 years with Choice Hotels in the areas of quality assurance, franchise services, brand management and brand programs.

Michael Duggan has returned to Nita Lake Lodge as general manager. He has called Whistler home since 2000, when he began serving as General Manager for the Whistler Pan Pacific Hotel. He was the lead developer on Black Rock Oceanfront Resort in Ucluelet BC, which opened in January of 2009. Most recently, Duggan completed setting up the operation of Whistler Places as well providing business development consulting for Trading Places Management Canada. Duggan is not new to Nita Lake Lodge, and in fact had an important role in establishing the resort as general manager when the hotel first opened in Whistler.

Effective July 1, 2013, a 10th change of generation will take place at glass manufacturer Riedel. Georg J. Riedel will hand over management of Riedel Crystal and its worldwide subsidiaries to his son Maximilian J. Riedel, the 11th generation family member to lead the heritage crystal house.

Father and son have agreed that now is the time to transfer the business to the next generation. Georg J. Riedel, who joined the company in 1973, changed the fine wine drinking culture through his work with leading wine visionaries, including Robert Mondavi, Marcel Guigal, Angelo Gaja and others. Following his appointment to chief executive, he led the company to achieve great success, thanks to a keen economic prowess and commitment to innovative design.

Tourism Industry Association of BC (TIABC) chair Lana Denoni applauded last month’s announcement

by Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training Minister Pat Bell on the appointment of the founding Board of Directors of Destination BC. The board will be charged with oversight and operations of Destination BC, the new provincial destination marketing organization (PDMO) in charge of tourism marketing for British Columbia.

The new board members have a wide range of expertise in tourism, business and marketing.

The board members are: Andrea Shaw (Chair), Susan Tamiko Doi, Whistler Blackcomb; Gordon Fitzpatrick, CedarCreek Estate Winery; Chief Gibby Jacob, Squamish Nation; Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia, Absolut Spa and Century Hotel & Spa; Laird M. Miller, London Drugs and Sonora Resort; Loring Phinney, Bell Canada; Robert Pratt, Coast Hotels & Resorts; and Alan Raine, Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality.

Board members may serve a term of up to three years with a possible renewal of one additional term of up to three years, for a maximum of six years.

M A R C H 2 013

T H E Massimo Capra celebrates Niagara restaurant anniversary

NIAGARA FALLS, ON—January 25 was an evening of fine dining in celebration of the third anniversary of Massimo Capra’s restaurant in the legendary Rainbow Room Restaurant at the Crowne Plaza Niagara Falls. Over 100 guests dined on a menu created and prepared by chef Capra and Crowne Plaza Fallsview executive chef John Casciato. The menu featured pairings from Niagara’s 13th Street Winery. The evening was part of the Niagara Culinary Experiences, a series of events and special dinners that celebrate the celebrity chefs and winery partners that call the Falls home.

Motel 6 Moncton makes list of Top 25 Bargain Hotels MONCTON, NB—Motel 6 Moncton was chosen as a winner in the Top 25 Bargain Hotels in Canada category of the annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards. The awards are based on millions of reviews and opinions from travellers. Located at 2530 Mountain Road, Motel 6 Moncton is beside the new casino and near Magic Mountain

Water Park, Magnetic Hill, Magnetic Hill Zoo, and Centennial Beach. Motel 6 ranked 20th and was the only chain hotel to make the list.

Bargain category winners included: 1. Clark’s Sunny Isle Motel, Summerside, PE 2. High Falls Motel and Cabins, Wawa, ON 3. Arbutus Grove Motel, Parksville, BC 4. Idabel Lake Resort, Idabel Lake, BC 5. Newcastle Country Inn, Drumheller, AB 6. Ainsworth Hotel, Ainsworth Hot Springs, BC

P ROD U CT S DYSON AIRBLADE: ONE STEP TO WASH/DRY HANDS

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7. West Coast Motel on the Harbour, Ucluelet, BC 8. Beach Breeze Motel, Grand Pre, NS 9. Albert’s Motel, Cheticamp, NS 10. Woody Island Resort, Woody Island, NL 11. Taku Resort and Marina, Quadra Island, BC 12. Studiotel Bromont, Bromont, QC 13. Fox Motor Inn, Napanee, ON 14. Pinewood Inn, Golden, BC 15. Bay Vista Motel, Cavendish, PE 16. Highland Heights Inn, Cape Breton Island, NS 17. Auberge des Cevennes, L’Anse St-Jean, QC 18. Hubs Motel, Wells, BC 19. Safari Beach Condo Resort, Osoyoos, BC 20. Motel 6 Moncton, Moncton, NB 21. Capri Inn, St. Catharines, ON 22. The Business Inn, Ottawa 23. Big Horn Motel, Radium Hot Springs, BC 24. Retasket Lodge and RV Park, Lillooet, BC 25. Park Motel, Hope, BC For winners in other categories go to www.tripadvisor.ca/ TravelersChoice-Hotels-cBargain

Motel 6, Moncton, NB placed 20th among TripAdvisor’s Top 25 Bargain Hotels.

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Atlas Homewares took the chosen colour and livened it up with a pop of polka-dots to create a limited edition collection. Adding splashes of colour is the easiest way to quickly transform any space, and these emerald spotted jewels are a great way to add some flair to a kitchen or bath.

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CANADIAN LODGING NEWS

TOP BE F OR E

&

A F T E R

Kensington Riverside Inn’s new design GUESTROOM BEFORE

EXECUTIVE GUESTROOM AFTER

LUXURY SUITE AFTER

10

LIST

Ten things to know about Canadian Travellers to the U.S. Last month, Expedia released its statistics on Canadian travel to the U.S. Here are 10 things you should know about Canadian travellers.

1. Demand for travel to the US is growing among Canadian consumers. In fact, the number of Canadian travellers to the U.S. is expected to grow 5 per cent in 2012, and another 4 per cent by the end of 2013.

2. The number of travellers booking trips from Canada to the U.S. on Expedia, Inc. sites grew nearly 15 per cent during the first nine months of 2012 compared to the previous year.

CALGARY, AB—What began as a bed and breakfast in the early nineties was transformed into Calgary’s only inner city boutique hotel under the ownership of Hotel Arts Group in 2007.

Million dollar guestroom reno Now again, in 2012, the Kensington Riverside Inn has undergone a large-scale, million dollar renovation on all 19 guest rooms. All rooms received a complete makeover from the carpet to wall-coverings, bathrooms, fixtures, and furniture.

Working with interior designer Andrea Raimondi of Ingenium Design Group, the Hotel Arts Group took a hands-on approach in defin-

ing the look and feel of Kensington Riverside Inn. The entrance, complete with a feature wall of interlocking coil drapery, bold Morosini lighting, dark Italian leather chairs and statement making modern art, establish an air of pure sophistication and luxury.

A few steps away, the 30-seat Fireside lounge features creamy-white Poltrona Frau leather chairs from Italy, a wall of purple Bisazza glass tile, an alluring fireplace, rich estate grey walls and a distinctive glass railing, illuminated by recessed floor lights.

The lounge’s contemporary paintings enhance the cohesive sense of comfort and refinement.

The completely updated guest rooms bring together all the comforts of home and all the luxurious touches of a hotel stay.

All 19 rooms and suites feature triple sheeted Frette linens, a 42-inch flat-screen plasma television, high-speed wireless Internet, voicemail, contemporary furnishings, independent climate control and windows that open.

Various rooms feature gas fireplaces, balconies, patios, and all rooms feature soaker tubs with rain shower heads and the unique Geneva Sound system.

Every design element was carefully considered to ensure that guests have a stylish and comforting environment to call their own during their stay.

Toronto International Centre gets bullish MISSISSAUGA, ON—The 8,000 square foot kitchen at the International Centre is going green, CEO Michael Prescott announced at a media tour of the facilities in mid-February.

The centre will use Bullfrog Power, a combination of wind and hydro, as well as a green natural gas produced by decomposed organic matter found in the everyday waste stream.

Currently, the kitchen is the test area for the green energy push, said Trevor Lui, director of operations and sustainability. “The food has got the largest reach of anything in the building,” he told CLN. “It’s the biggest touchpoint for our customers. Unlike lights or signage, the

food is a sustainability story that ends up on people’s plates, and they spread the word.”

The green energy initiative is part of a larger sustainability plan for 2013. A 400 square foot herb garden will be going up on the rooftop starting in March, said executive chef Tawfik Shehata to CLN. Rain barrels and compartmented planters will be used to grow lemon and pineapple mint, five or six varieties of basil, marjoram and savory for both decorative and edible purposes.

Shehata will also be working with local farmers to grow items such as mesclun specifically for use at the International Centre.

C OM I NG

April 2-4, 2013: Online Revealed, Caesar’s Windsor, Windsor Ontario. Contact: Patricia Brusha. Phone: 905-990-0079 ext. 103 or 888.235.6009 ext. 103. E-mail: pbrusha@acoupleofchicks.com. Website: www.onlinerevealed. com April 14-15: ApEx 2013, Exhibition Park, Halifax, Nova Scotia. Contact: Ellen Scanlan.

Phone: 1-877-755-1938 ext. 102 or 902-4250061 ext. 102. E-mail: escanlan@eastlink.ca.

Website: www.apextradeshow.ca April 14-16: Alberta Hotel & Lodging Association Convention and Trade Show, The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. Contact Tina Tillapaugh at ttillapaugh@ahla.ca.

E V E N T S

April 15-16: Saskatchewan Hotel & Hospitality Association 2013 Conference & Tradeshow Delta Regina Hotel. Contact: Tom Mullin, SHHA, #302-2080 Broad Street, Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 1Y3, 1-800-667-1118 (SK), (306) 522-1664, Fax: (306) 525-1944.

May 28-29: Canadian Hotel Investment Conference (CHIC), Hilton Toronto Hotel, Toronto. Contact: Orie Berlasso. Phone 416-9242002 or 866-887-4453. E-mail: orieberlasso@ bigpictureconferences.ca. Website: www.hotelinvest.ca.

Oct. 8: The Manitoba Hotel Association Tradeshow, Victoria Inn Hotel, Winnipeg. Website: www.centrex.ca

3. Canada continues to rank number one in terms of international visits to the U.S. More than 21 million Canadians travelled to the U.S. last year, accounting for more than 176 million overnight stays.

4. Collectively, they spent more than $16 billion USD during their travels— equal to $770 per person—making Canadians number one in terms of visitor spending in the U.S. as well.

5. A majority of visitors from Canada are traveling to major U.S. cities. The top 5 destinations for Canadian travellers (as booked on Expedia, Inc. sites) are: 1. Las Vegas, NV 2. New York, NY 3. Orlando, FL 4. Chicago, IL 5. Los Angeles, CA 6. They stay at 3-, 4-, and 5-star properties.

More than 70 per cent book their stay at 3-5 star hotels.

7. They are making their bookings nearly a month out, and paying an average ADR of $134 USD per night, with lodging representing one-third of their total travel spend.

International Centre executive chef Tawfik Shehata.

Online Revealed comes to Caesar’s Windsor, Apr. 2-4 WINDSOR—Now in its 8th year, Online Revealed will take place April 2-4 at Caesar’s Windsor. Panels and seminars will deal with subjects ranging from e-commerce to web and social marketing. HAC president Tony Pollard is back as chair of a panel that asks: Do Brands help drive traffic to destinations?

New this year is an opportunity to ride the rails in style with Patricia Brusha and Alicia Whalen of A Couple of Chicks and key sponsors in an exclusive VIA Rail car from Toronto to Windsor. The VIA Rail Glenfraser Lounge Car provides an opportunity to network with conference sponsors and other attendees.

8. They come by planes, buses and automobiles. Car is the preferred method of transportation for a majority of Canadian travellers (58 per cent) to the U.S. Airplane is the second most popular method (35 per cent), followed by bus (2 per cent).

9. The most popular leisure activities among Canadian travellers while visiting the U.S.: 1. Shopping (76 per cent) 2. Sightseeing (44 per cent) 3. Visiting friends or relatives (32 per cent) 4. Participating in outdoor sports or activities (28 per cent) 10. A majority of Canadian travellers are making their trips to the U.S. in July, August and September, though there is a sizable contingent that prefer to travel to warm weather locations during the cold Canadian winter months.

M A R C H 2 013

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